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THE  NEW  AMERICAN 
POULTRY    BOOK, 

CONTAINING  ALL  THE   DIFFERENT 

Varieties  of  Fowls, 

WITH  COMPLETE  INSTEUOTIOUS. 


HOW  TO  RAISE   POULTRY — THE    BEST    LAYERS    AND    STTTERS- 
THE  BEST  SOILS  ON    WHICH    TO   KEEP    THEM — HOW  TO 
PEED — MANAGEMENT  OP  LAYERS  AND  SITTERS  — 

POINTS  OP  BEAUTY DICTIONARY  OP 

POULTRY  TERMS — INCUBATION — 

MANAGEMENT  OP  THE 

MOTHER — 

HOW  TO  REAR  THE  CHICKS,   ETC. 


BY 

—JOHN  TAGGART,— 

BellevTxe  I»oulnry  Farm,  Hiclnnond.,  £»a, 

PHILADELPHIA: 
CRAWFORD    &    CO., 

47  N.  Ninth  Street. 
1884. 

Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  In  the  year  1884,  by  Crawfobo  k  Co.,  in  Um  Office  of  Um 
Llbrariua  of  Congress,  at  Washington,  D.  C. 


'^  transfer  /rom  I-  ^'  ^^^^ 

P»t.  ooaoo  Uto.  Order  DW« 

AprM  1814. 


CHEAPEST !       POPULAR !       SALEABLE 

Illustrated  Natural  History 


COMPRISING 


Descriptions  of  Animals,  Birds,  Fishes,  Meptiles, 

Insects,  Etc,  with  Sketches  of  their  Teculiar 

Habits  and   Characteristics y 


BY  THE 


REV.  J.  G.  WOOD,  M.  A. 


Author  of  "  The  Illustrated  Natural  History  of  Man,"  "  Insects  at  Home." 
"  Homes  without  Hands."    Etc.,  Etc. 

HANDSOMELY  ILLUSTRATED  BY 300  FINE  ENGRAVINGS, 

T2mo.  size,  423  pages,  neatly  bound  in  Fine  English  Cloth,  with 
.superb  gold  and  black  stamps  on  side  and  back  in  appropriate 
designs. 

The  above  described  volume  has  been  written  with  the  view 
of  presenting  the  requisite  information,  in  such  shape  as  will  make 
the  subject  attractive  alike  to  youth  or  to  the  mature  reader,  who 
might  perhaps  be  deterred  from  a  perusal  of  more  diffuse  histories 
by  the  prolixity  of  detail,  or  the  too  scientific  character  of  the 
work.  Written  in  plain  and  j^amiliar  language,  and  divested  of 
most  of  the  technicalities  which  are  calculated  rather  to  embarrass 
than  to  inform  the  general  reader,  this  volume  is  so  arranged  as  to 
be  diverting  as  well  as  instructive  reading. 

The  text  is  illustrated  by  three  hundred  beautiful  wood  engrav- 
ings, and  a  well  arranged  Index  renders  the  work  complete. 

OII-A.WFORD  &  CO., 

No.  47  N.  NINTH  STREET, 

PITTLADELPTIIA,  PA. 


DOMESTIC  POETRY. 


VARIETIES;   THEIR    CHOICE    AND 
MANAGE3IENT. 

In  the  choice  of  fowls,  no  inconsiderable  amount  of  know- 
ledge of  the  characters  o  f  the  different  varieties  is  necessary  to 
insure  success  to  the  breeder.  From  my  own  experience,  and 
that  of  the  most  eminent  poultry-keepers,  I  have  attempted  to 
jot  down  such  information  as  may  be  found  useful  in  the  selec- 
tion and  management  of  these  really  useful  and  elegant  birds. 
I  shall  first  introduce  to  the  reader's  notice  the  largest  and  one 
of  the  most  important  breeds  in  our  country. 

THE  BRAHMA  FOWLS 

Are  divided  into  two  classes,  the  light  and  dark;  as  a  rule  the 
dark  are  preferable,  although  either  are  good  enough  for  any 
farm  yard.  They  are  now  almost  universally  cultivated  through- 
out America,  and  a  most  valuable  variety — so  hardy,  so  beauti- 
ful, and  so  excellent  in  all  the  relations  of  poultry  life. 

The  hens  are  the  best  of  mothers,  and  lay  fine  large  eggs  during 
the  winter.  Even  when  the  ground  is  covered  with  snow,  they 
lay  regularly,  and  in  fact  at  all  times  when  not  employed  in  sit- 


4  BRAHMA    FOWL. 

ting  or  renewing  their  plumage.     The  pullets  attain  full  size  at 
an  early  age,  and  are  in  their  prime  when  eight  months  old. 

Brahmas  are  doubtless  the  largest  of  all  the  varieties  of  domes- 
tic fowls;  some  have  been  known  to  weigh  seventeen  pounds, 
which  exceeds  the  weight  of  any  other  breed. 


LIGHT   BRAHMA,    COCK   AND   HEN. 


The  dark  Brahmas  have  steadily  progressed  in  favor  since  their 
first  introduction;  their  gigantic  size,  great  weight,  hardihood 
and  prolificacy,  and  the  ease  with  which  they  can  be  kept  in 
confined  ranges,  all  tend  to  render  them  much  esteemed.  To 
sum  up  their  merits,  as  good,  useful,  hardy  fowls,  they  are  un- 
surpassed. They  are  good  layers  of  good  sized  eggs,  good  fora- 
gers and  good  sitters;  as  mothers  they  cannot  be  excelled,  no 
fowls  being  more  careful  not  to  step  on  their  chickens,  brooding: 
them  better,  or  searching  more  diligently  for  food.  The  chick- 
ens grow  fast  and  are  exceedingly  hardy;  old  and  young  take 


^f0fC3*w% 


BUPllCilt 


^Ailllll 


BHA^MA   FOWL. 


good  care  of  themselves,  and  often  recover  from  ailments  that 
would  carry  off  any  of  a  less  hardy  sort.  They  are  very  good 
for  the  table,  putting  on  flesh  readily;  they  are  also  small  eaters. 


DARK  BRAHMA  HEN. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  DARK  BRAHMA. 

The  head  of  the  dark  Brahma  cock  should  have  a  pea  comb, 
that  is  a  triple  comb;  this  should  be  small,  low  in  front,  and 
firmly  set  in  the  head  without  falling  over  on  either  side,  dis- 
tinctly divided,  so  as  to  have  the  appearance  of  three  small  combs 
joined  together  in  the  lower  part  and  back,  the  largest  being  in 
the  middle,  and  each  part  slightly  and  evenly  serrated. 

The  upper  part  of  the  body  is  silvery  white  striped  with  black; 
the  breas^t,  under  part  of  body  and  thighs  either  pure  black  or 


6  BRAHMA   FOWL. 

slightly  mottled  with  white.  The  feathers  that  cover  the  bases 
of  the  quill-feathers  of  the  wings  are  of  a  lustrous  green  black, 
and  form  a  broad  well-marked  bar  across  the  wings.  The  flight- 
feathers  are  white  on  the  outer  and  black  on  the  inner  webs.  The 
secondary  quills  have  a  broad,  dark,  green  black  spot  at  the  end 
of  each  feather.  The  tail  is  black.  The  shank  should  be  of  a 
yellow  color,  and  well  clothed  with  dark  feathers  slightly  mot- 
tled with  white. 

The  hens  have  a  grey  head;  neck-hackle  silvery  white,  striped 
with  black.  The  comb  is  the  same  only  of  a  smaller  size.  The 
remainder  of  the  plumage  should  be  dull  white,  and  closely  pen- 
cilled with  dark  steel  grey  so  as  almost  to  cover  the  ground  color 
and  reaching  well  up  the  front  of  the  neck.  The  hen  is  not  so 
upright  in  carriage  as  the  cock,  and  it  is  much  shorter  in  the 


LIGHT  BRAHMAS. 


^ist^-^ 


LIGHT   BRAHMA  HEN. 


BP.AHMA    FOWL.  7 

In  color,  the  light  Brahmas  are  characterized  by  the  general 
white  color  of  the  body,  breast  and  thighs.  The  neck-hackle 
should  be  marked  with  a  distinct  black  stripe  down  the  centre 
of  each  feather;  there  is  a  tendency  in  the  cock  to  come  light  or 
cloudy  in  the  hackle — defects  which  very  greatly  detract  from 
their  beauty.  The  saddle-feathers  in  the  cock  are  white  or  light- 
ly striped  with  black,  those  of  the  hen  being  white.  The  first 
ten  flight-feathers  are  black,  but  the  secondary  quills,  which 
alone  are  visible  when  the  wing  is  closed,  are  white  on  the  outer 
web,  consequently  the  dark  color  of  the  wing  is  not  visible  when 
folded.  In  the  cock  the  tail  is  black,  the  tail-coverts  being  beau- 
tifully glossed  with  green,  the  lower  ones  being  margined  with 


LIGHT   BKAHMA   COCK. 


silver,  as  are  the  two  highest  tail-feathers  in  the  hen.  The  shanks 
in  this  variety  should  bo  bright  yellow,  well  closed  with  white 
feathers  slightly  mottled  with  black. 


8 


COCHINS. 


In  conclusion  I  would  state  that  I  do  not  believe,  all  things 
considered,  that  there  is  any  better  market  fowl  than  the  Brahma; 
some  other  breeds  are  doubtlessly  superior  table  fowls,  but  they 
are  more  tender  and  harder  to  rear. 

Give  your  Brahmas  large  roomy  quarters  in  winter,  and  if 
possible  plenty  of  range  for  exercise;  feed  well,  and  they  will 
give  you  winter-eggs,  and  those  are  the  kind  that  bring  money. 


COCHINS. 


The  Cochins  were  first  introduced  into  this  country  under  the 
name  of  Shanghaes;  they  originally  come  from  Shanghae,  and 


COCHINS.  9 

are  to  this  day  found  in  great  numbers  there.  But  the  Shanghaes, 
as  originally  introduced  and  widely  grown  in  this  country,  were 
gigantic  muscular  birds  of  great  activity  and  wonderful  powers 
of  storing  away  food,  which  was  absorbed  into  muscle  and  bone, 
but  made  comparatively  little  juicy  flesh.  The  consequence  was, 
they  got  a  bad  reputation,  and  the  term  was  finally  one  of  re- 
proach; but  upon  the  vast  improvement  which  was  made  in  them 
by  careful  breeding,  the  name  of  Cochins,  as  designated  by 
cinnamon  or  white  or  buff  or  partridge,  rapidly  superseded  the 
old  term,  and  the  despised  but  vastly  improved  Shanghae  sailed 
under  a  new  name,  and  are  now  raised  as  profitable  birds  all  over 
the  United  States. 

They  are  first-class  layers,  and  in  season  when  new-laid  eggs 
are  rare,  and  from  their  scarcity  of  so  much  increased  value,  this 
species  often  proves  a  source  from  whence  we  can  obtain  supplies. 
They  also  make  capital  mothers,  and  are  quiet  when  sitting. 

In  many  places  where  space  is  limited,  the  Cochins  are  found 
convenient  guests;  they  can  put  up  with  worse  accommodation, 
and  require  less  space  than  almost  any  other  race.  I  do  not 
mean  to  say  that  they  will  thrive  the  better  for  confinement, 
neither  that  fowls  in  general  will  pine  and  die  if  kept  in  a  narrow 
range;  all  fowls  are  better  for  having  ample  space;  but  in  cases 
where  their  liberties  are  necessarily  abridged  and  more  careful 
tending  is  required  to  counterbalance  want  of  field-room,  the 
Cochin  can  bear  captivity  better  than  any  other  fowl. 

The  roosting- poles  for  Cochins  and  in  fact  all  bulky  fowls 
should  be  near  the  ground;  they  should  be  large  in  diameter  in 
order  that  the  claws  may  maintain  a  firm  clutch  and  perfect 
equilibrium  without  inconvenience  or  efiort. 


VARIETIES  OF  THE  COCHIN. 

The  Cochin  fowl  is  a  largo  heavy  bird,  very  broad  and  clumsy 


10  SPANISH   FOWL. 

looking.  The  tail  is  very  short  and  nearly  destitute  of  feathers? 
but  the  remainder  of  its  body  is  abundantly  covered.  The  legs 
are  short,  stout,  and  well  feathered;  the  head  should  be  small, 
with  a  single  straight  comb;  the  beak  short  and  strong;  the  wat- 
tles small,  and  the  ear-lobes  red  and  fine  as  to  texture.  There 
are  many  varieties  of  the  Cochin  viz — Buffs;  this  is  the  true 
type  of  the  colored  birds,  and  lor  utility,  I  think  the  best. 

Partridge  Cochins. — Very  heavy;  full  round  plump  forms 
and  a  majestic  carriage. 

"White  Cochins. — These  should  be  pure  white  all  over.  In  city 
yards  amid  the  smoke  and  dust  the  White  Cochin  do  not  appear 
to  advantage  but  in  the  country  no  variety  looks  more  pleasing, 
as  the  beauty  of  their  plumage  depends  on  its  clean  and  unsullied 
condition. 

If  well  selected,  properly  taken  care  of,  and  well  fed,  they 
make  a  first-class  table  bird;  they  are  hardy,  do  not  require  much 
space,  and  I  should  recommend  them  to  any  person  who  only 
wants  to  keep  a  few  birds. 


SPANISH  FOWLS. 


The  Spanish  fowls  have  long  been  known  and  highly  esteemed 
in  the  United  States  for  their  great  lajdng  and  non-sitting  pro- 
pensities. 

All  fowls  are  better  for  being  hatched  in  a  warm  season,  and 
the  Spanish  are  no  exception  to  this.  Though  of  a  sound  consti- 
tution, no  fowl  is  more  injured  by  cold  wet  weather.     Their 


13  SPANISH  FOWL. 

roosting-places  therefore  should  face  the  south,  and  be  well-pro- 
tected from  cold  winds,  especially  as  they  are  subject  to  long  and 
protracted  moultings.  The  cold  affects  their  comb  also,  which 
is  sometimes  frost-bitten,  with  a  liability  to  mortification. 

The  flesh  of  the  Spanish  Black  fowl  is  juicy  and  of  good  flavor, 
but  not  equal  to  that  of  the  "Dorking."  The  flesh  of  the  White 
Spanish  is  not  considered  so  fine  in  flavor,  as  that  of  the  Black, 
yet  it  is  not  bad,  especially  if  young. 

As  layers  they  are  among  the  best,  but  are  seldom  inclined  to 
sit ;  they  generally  produce  two  eggs  consecutively  and  then  miss 
a  day. 

As  to  healthiness,  they  are  less  liable  to  roup  than  lighter- 
colored  birds;  in  fact,  the  Spanish  fowl  is  less  subject  to  disease 
than  are  most  of  the  common  black  varieties. 

In  general  they  are  rather  quarrelsome,  and  are  very  averse  to 
strange  fowls,  and  if  separated  from  each  other  even  for  two  or 
three  days,  the  hens  will  disagree  seriously  upon  being  reunited. 

In  case  of  a  strange  hen  being  tormented  by  her  companions 
for  any  length  of  time,  so  that  she  is  afraid  to  come  and  feed  with 
them,  or  of  the  cock  displaying  his  protracted  dislike  to  her,  it 
will  be  right  to  remove  her,  or  she  may  be  reduced  to  so  low  a 
condition  as  to  render  her  unable  to  escape  their  persecutions,  and 
avoid  death  from  their  violence. 

The  Spanish  pullets  commence  laying  when  six  or  seven  months 
old,  and  occasionally  sooner,  though  some  of  them  commence 
at  a  later  period,  according  to  feeding  and  treatment.  But  pre- 
mature fertility  is  not  to  be  wished  for,  as  it  will  frequently  hap- 
pen that  pullets  which  commence  very  early,  seldom  lay  when 
fully  grown  so  large  an  egg  as  those  produce  which  do  not  la}' 
before  they  are  eight  months  old.  Indeed  the  debilitating  effects 
of  either  premature,  or  continual  laying  in  ripe  age,  as  respects 
tUe  Spanish  breed  ai-e  now  and  then  manifested  by  the  loss  of  the 


SPANISH   FOWL.  13 

body  feathers  in  moulting,  besides  the  usual  falling  off  of  the 
neck,  and  wing,  and  tail  feathers;  and  when  thus  stripped,  the 
poor  birds  look  very  miserable  in  bad  weather. 

In  sitting  Spanish  eggs,  nine  of  them  are  sufficient  for  hens  of 
ordinary  size,  as  they  are  much  larger  than  the  generality  of 
fowls  eggs. 

It  will  be  unwise,  with  any  breed,  to  select  the  first  dozen  of 
a  pullet's  eggs  for  hatching;  they  being  comparatively  immature 
and  small,  it  is  not  likely  that  large  and  strong  chicks  will  be 
the  issue.  Besides,  pullets  occasionally  do  not  enter  into  tender 
union  with  thek  male  companions  until  they  have  laid  five  or 
six  eggs. 

The  color  of  the  Spanish  chick,  when  first  hatched,  is  a  shining 
black,  with  a  blotch  of  white  sometimes  on  the  breast,  and  a 
little  white  also  around  the  bill  and  the  eyes.  They  do  not  until 
nearly  grown,  get  their  full  feathers,  and  therefore  they  should 
be  hatched  at  a  favorable  season  of  the  year,  to  be  well  feathered 
before  it  grows  cold  in  the  Fall. 

Spanish  hens  seldom  exhibit  a  disposition  to  undertake  the 
task  of  incubation,  and  if  it  be  attempted,  they  will  in  the  gen- 
erality of  cases  forsake  the  nest  long  before  the  chicks  would  be 
hatched.  Sometimes,  however,  they  will  perseveringly  perform 
the  maternal  duties;  but  it  is  against  their  general  character. 
They  are  exceedingly  long  in  the  leg,  consequently  are  subject 
to  cramp;  this  partly  accounts  for  their  being  so  averse  to  such 
sedentary  occupation.  Since,  therefore,  they  will  not  undertake 
the  office  of  mothers,  we  must  impose  it  upon  some  other  class 
of  fowl,  that  will  not  only  accept  the  task,  but  will  joyfully  hatch 
and  rear  the  young  of  even  another  species  until  they  are  able  to 
take  care  of  themselves.  It  is  by  this  means  the  Spanish  breed 
is  still  preserved  and  multiplied. 


14  SPANISH   FOWL. 

VARIETIES  AND  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  SPANISH  FOWL. 

A  full  grown  black  Spanish  cock  weighs  seven  pounds;  the  hen, 
about  six  pounds.  The  principal  features,  and  those  which  form 
the  most  striking  contrasts  to  those  of  other  fowls,  are,  its  com- 
plete suit  of  glossy  black,  large  face,  and  ear-lobe  of  white; 
enlivened  by  comb  and  gills  of  excessive  development.  The 
peculiarities  of  these  contrasts  induce  me  to  describe  them  in 
detail.  The  plumage  is  of  a  rich  satin,  black,  reflecting  their 
shades  of  bluish,  greenish  purple,  when  exposed  to  the  sun's  rays; 
the  feathers  of  the  breast,  belly,  and  thighs,  are  black,  of  the 
most  decided  hue.  The  hens  are  of  a  similar  feather,  but  less 
brilliant.  The  face  and  ear-lobes  especially  the  latter,  are  of 
pearly  whiteness;  the  face  should  extend  above  the  eye,  encircle 
it,  and  meet  the  comb;  it  still  increases  as  the  bird  grows  older, 
continuing  to  enlarge  in  size,  especially  with  hens,  which  seldom 
have  a  really  good  show  of  face  until  two  years  of  age,  even 
beyond  the  time  of  their  full  growth;  and  the  more  face  and  ear- 
lobe,  the  more  valuable  either  the  cock  or  hen.  The  comb  of 
the  cock  should  be  erect  and  serrated,  almost  extending  to  the 
nostrils,  and  of  bright  scarlet;  it  should  be  fine  in  texture,  and 
exhibit  no  sign  of  excrescences.  In  hens  this  uprightness  of 
comb  cannot  be  obtained,  owing  to  its  abundant  size  and  thin- 
ness of  base.  The  wattles  are  long,  pendulous,  of  high  color, 
and  well  folded.  The  head  is  long,  and  there  should  be  no  top- 
knot behind  the  comb,  nor  muff  round  the  neck .  The  beak  is 
long,  and  generally  black,  it  should  be  slightly  curved,  and  thick 
at  the  base.  The  eyes  are  very  full,  bright  and  of  a  rich  chest- 
nut color:  they  are  somewhat  prominent.  The  neck  is  rather 
long,  but  strong  and  thick  towards  the  base,  the  neck  hackle 
being  a  glossy  black;  the  chest  and  body  are  broad  and  black, 
the  former  being  particularly  dark;  the  wings  are  of  a  moderate 
size,  whilst  the  coverts  are  beautifully  shaded,  and  of  a  bluish 


SPANISH   FOWL.  15 

black.  The  thighs  are  neat  but  long,  as  also  is  the  shank,  which 
is  of  a  leaden  or  dark  blue  color,  and  sometimes  of  a  pale  blue- 
white.  The  soles  of  the  feet  are  of  a  dingy  flesh-color;  the  tail 
is  rather  erect  and  well  balanced,  presenting  if  well  plumed  (as 
it  should  be)  a  very  elegant  green  hued  shade. 

White  Spanish. — These  birds  are  not  so  hardy,  but  they 
inherit  the  usual  qualities  of  the  black;  the  general  feathers,  like 
the  face  being  perfectly  white. 

The  Ancona. — There  is  seldom  much  white  about  the  face 
of  this  variety,  and  in  many  cases  none;  the  ear-lobes  is,  however, 
of  that  color,  though  not  so  long  and  full  as  in  the  Black.  They 
possess  the  general  characteristics  of  the  Spanish  class,  and  are 
excellent  layers.  They  are  of  a  very  unsettled  color,  spotted 
with  white  but  far  from  regularly  marked;  they  also  present  many 
other  shades  and  colors. 

MiNORCAS. — These  are  very  similar  to  the  last  named  variety, 
wanting  the  white  face  of  the  Black  tribe;  the  shank  is  not  so 
long  as  in  the  true  Black.  They  are  good  layers,  but  bad  sitters 
and  mothers- 

Andalusian. — When  carefully  selected,  the  chicks  throw 
black  and  white  and  if  those  most  resembling  the  originals  are 
bred  together,  a  neat  grey  bird  may  be  obtained.  They  are  good 
layers,  and  far  better  sitters  and  mothers  than  the  Blacks,  and 
have  shorter  shanks;  whilst  their  principal  peculiarity  consists  in 
a  tail  standing  very  erect,  the  feathers  of  which  in  many  spe- 
cimens nearly  touch  the  hackle-feathers  of  the  neck.  They  are 
a  very  hardy  fowl,  and  possess  a  fair  share  of  the  Black's  good 
qualities. 

There  are  many  other  sub-varieties,  or  rather  strains,  that 
have  crossed  with  the  Spanish  stock,  but  they  neither  deserve 
uor  possess  a  distinct  name. 


16  DORKING   FOWL. 

The  superiority  of  the  Spanish  generally,  as  egg  producers,  is  so 
decided,  that  any  cross  from  them  meriting  the  character  of 
everlasting  layers,  is  worth  encouragement.  It  is  to  be  recol- 
lected that  the  Hamburgh  or  Dutch  is  not  the  only  sort  from  which 
everlasting  layers  have  sprung.  Any  hens  which  with  warmth 
and  good  feeding  will  lay  eggs  continuously,  and  especially 
through  the  winter,  are  to  be  welcomed.  And  though  the  debil- 
itating effects  of  continued  laying  must  tell  upon  the  constitution, 
yet  where  stock  is  not  desired  for  a  mere  gratification  of  the  eye, 
but  kept  on  economical  principles,  it  cannot  be  inexpedient  to 
stimulate  the  prolific  powers  of  hens  to  the  utmost.  If  good 
layers  which  have  not  the  presumption  to  compete  for  the  prizes 
of  birth  or  beauty,  can  by  clever  management,  be  induced  to  lay 
within  two  years  the  entire  compliment  of  eggs  which  in  the 
ordinary  course  of  nature  would  not  be  yielded  by  them  in  less 
than  three  years,  there  is  an  actual  saving  gained  of  at  least  one- 
third  of  food,  if  these  effete  layers  be  then  fattened  and  killed. 
No  breed  would  be  better  if  this  plan  is  strictly  applied,  than 
that  of  the  common  Blacks  of  Spanish  blood,  or  some  of  their 
sub-varieties. 


THE  DORKING  FOWL. 


Of  distinct  English  breeds  the  Dorkings  are  the  most  celebra- 
ted. For  those  who  wish  to  stock  their  poultry-yard  with  fowls 
of  the  most  desirable  shape  and  size,  clothed  in  rich  and  varie- 
gated plumage,  and  not  expecting  perfection  are  willing  to  over- 
look one  or  two  other  points,  the  speckled  Dorkings  are  the 
breed  to  be  at  once  selected.     The  hens,  in  addition  to  their  gay 


DORKING  FOWL. 


17 


GRAY    ENGLISH    DORKINGS. 


colors,  have  a  large  vertically  flat  comb,  which,  when  they  are 
in  high  health,  adds  very  much  to  their  brilliant  appearance. 
The  cocks  are  magnificent;  the  most  gorgeous  hues  are  frequently 
lavished  upon  them,  which  their  great  size  and  peculiarly  square- 
built  form  displays  to  great  advantage.  The  breeder,  and  the 
farmer's  wife,  behold  with  delight  their  broad  breast,  the  small 
proportion  of  ofFal,  and  the  large  quantity  of  profitable  flesh. 


18  DORKING   FOWL. 

The  Cockerels  may  be  brouglit  to  considerable  weight,  and  the 
flavor  and  appearance  of  the  meat  are  inferior  to  none.  They 
are  only  fair  layers,  but  at  due  and  convenient  intervals  mani- 
fest the  desire  of  sitting.  Havmg  short,  compact  legs,  they  are 
well  formed  for  incubation.  The  Dorkings  are  not  well  suited  for 
damp  soils,  by  reason  of  the  shortness  of  their  legs.  They  are 
also  distinguished  for  breadth  of  body,  the  somewhat  partridge 
form,  and  also,  in  the  poultry  phraze,  for  being  clean  headed. 
Though  they  possess  great  similarity  of  form,  there  is  much  vari- 
ety of  color;  but  they  are  generally  distinguished  as  white,  grey 
or  speckled,  and  also  by  the  character  of  the  comb — viz,  as  single 
and  double,  or  rose  combed;  and  classed  accordingly  at  the  poul- 
try shows. 

The  fifth  or  supernumerarytoe  is  the  peculiar  mark  distinctive  of 
the  whole  breed  under  consideration.  Though  thex  Creator  has 
not  designed  anything  without  its  appropriative  purpose,  this 
additional  member  must  rather  be  deemed  a  distinctive  than  a 
useful  one,  just  as  the  absence  of  a  tail,  or  the  color  and  size  of 
a  comb  may  distinguish  an  individual  race  of  fowls.  These  over- 
furnished  claws  have  been  denounced  as  sources  of  danger  and 
annoyance  to  young  chicks  when  first  issuing  from  the  shell, 
rendering  the  mother's  movements  hazardous  to  them.  I  have 
never  seen  them  do  so,  and  even  if  they  did  how  is  the  hen  to  be 
employed  when  the  sitting  fit  comes  on,  for  they  are  persevering 
sitters,  and  as  neither  worrying,  nor  whipping,  nor  fettering,  nor 
physicking,  or  the  cold  shower  bath,  will  subdue  their  natural 
instinct  to  set,  they  should  be  allowed  to  follow  their  instinct, 
and  incubate  in  peace. 

The  Dorkings  are  a  very  heavy  fowl  when  fat,  as  their  frame 
work  is  not  of  that  lengthy,  incompact  structure  which  it  is  so 
difficult  to  fill  up  with  flesh  and  fat;  they  much  sooner  become 
tempting  figures  for  trussing  and  skewering  than  other  fowls. 
They  have  a  great  aptitude  for  fattening  when  rendered  capons. 


DORKING   FOWL.  19 


VARIETIES  AND  DESCRIPTION. 


White  Dorkings. — This  variety  seldom  produces  more  than 
two  broods  a  year,  because  they  require  more  favorable  seasons, 
and  greater  warmth  than  the  colored. 

The  white  is  not  so  large  as  the  colored,  and,  as  a  general  rule, 
whiteness  in  animal  physiology  is  indicative  of  constitutional 
delicacy.  Their  average  weight  is  less  than  that  of  the  colored,, 
and  like  all  white  feathered  poultry,  the  flesh  has  a  tendency  to 
yellowness. 

The  white  cock  and  hen  are  perfectly  white  in  the  plumage, 
bills,  and  legs;  both  should  have  a  double  or  rose-comb  of  bright 
red,  though  a  single  one  is  frequent,  but  this  is  considered  a  sign 
of  degeneracy.  The  cock  is  very  upright  and  spirited  in  his 
appearance,  and  his  spurs  are  usually  lower  than  those  in  other 
species.  The  fifth  toe  should  be  well  defined.  The  hen  has  no 
individualities. 

The  Grey  or  Speckled  Dorking  Cock. — The  head  round, 
and  furnished  with  double  or  single  comb,  of  bright  red;  wattles, 
large  and  pendent;  the  ear-lobes  almost  white;  hackles,  a  cream 
white,  and  the  feathers  of  the  hackles  dark  along  the  centre;  the 
back,  grey  of  different  shades,  interspersed  with  black;  saddle 
feathers,  same  as  hackles  in  color;  wing  feathers,  white,  mixed 
with  black;  the  larger  wing  coverts,  black;  the  lesser,  brown  and 
yellow,  shaded  with  white;  breast  and  thighs,  black  or  dark 
brown;  tail  feathers,  very  dark,  with  a  metallic  lustre. 

The  Gret  or  Colored  Hen. — Face,  lighter  colored  than 
that  of  the  cocks;  hackles,  black  and  white;  back,  dark  grey; 
saddle  and  wing,  grey,  tipped  with  black;  tail,  almost  black. 
Five  claws  and  white  legs  characterize  both  sexes. 


20  POLAND  FOWL. 


POLAND  FOWLS. 


"WHITE   CRESTED   BLACK  POLISH  COCK  AND  HEN. 

The  Polands  are  excellent  layers  of  perfectly  white  and  mod- 
erately-sized eggs,  much  pointed  at  the  smaller  end.  They  seem 
to  be  less  inclined  to  sit  than  any  other  breed,  and  it  is  judicious 
to  put  their  eggs  under  other  nurses.  The  chicks  of  both  sexes, 
which  are  hardly  distinguishable  for  many  weeks,  are  very  or- 
namental. The  male  bird  is  first  distinguished  by  the  tail  remain- 
ing depressed,  awaiting  the  growth  of  the  sickle  feathers,  whereas 
the  female  carries  it  uprightly  from  the  first*  also,  the  top-knot 
in  the  cockerels  hangs  more  backward  than  in  the  pullets. 

Their  flesh  is  excellent,  being  white,  tender  and  juicy. 

During  three  or  four  years  the  cocks  in  particular  increase  in 
size,  hardihood,  and  beauty,  different  in  this  from  fowls  gener- 
ally, which  advance  much  more  rapidly  to  their  highest  points 


POLAND   FOWL.  21 

of  perfection,  but  from  which  they  fall  away  with  corresponding 
rapidity. 

The  Polands  are  extremely  tender,  and  so  difficult  to  rear,  that 
the  eggs  should  not  be  set  before  the  middle  of  May,  as  dampness 
is  fatal  to  them  while  very  young;  but,  if  they  live  to  be  adults, 
no  fowls  are  more  hardy,  or  profitable  as  layers,  or  more  delicious 
for  the  table.    . 

Their  demerits  are  few,  and  of  no  serious  importance.  They 
are  not  at  all  suited  to  dirty  farmyards,  becoming  blind  and 
miserable  with  dirt.  They  do  not  lay  quite  so  early  in  the  year 
as  other  tribes,  and  are  not  suited  for  the  office  of  mothers  and 
nurses,  from  their  great  disposition  to  lay;  and  when  they  do  sit, 
they  are  rather  unsteady  and  perverse.  Now  these  objections 
may  be  dismissed,  because  there  is  nothing  to  prevent  the  sub- 
stitution of  hens  of  other  tribes  for  hatching,  and  if  the  Polish 
hens  and  pullets  themselves  in  the  mean  time  lay  eggs,  there  is 
no  loss  in  an  economical  point  of  view. 

We  have  good  practical  authority  for  stating  that  the  critical 
period  of  their  lives  is  from  the  second  to  the  sixth  month. 


DESCRIPirON  AND  VARIETIES. 

The  crest  of  the  cock  is  composed  of  straight  feathers,  some- 
thing like  those  of  a  hackle  or  saddle;  they  grow  from  the  centre 
of  the  crown  and  fall  over  outside,  forming  a  circular  crest.  That 
of  the  hen  is  made  up  of  feathers  growing  out  and  turning  in  at 
the  extremities,  tUl  they  form  a  large  top-knot,  which  should  in 
shape  resemble  a  cauliflower.  The  comb  of  the  cock  is  peculiar, 
inasmuch  as  it  is  very  small,  scarcely  any  on  the  top  of  the  head, 
and  having  in  front  two  small  spirals  or  fleshy  horns.  The  car- 
riage is  upright,  and  the  breast  more  protuberant  than  in  any 
other  fowl,  save  the  Sebright  bantam.  The  body  is  very  round 
and  full,  slightly  tapering  to  the  tail,  which  is  carried  erect,  and 


22 


POLAND    FOWL. 


which  is  ample,  spreading  towards  the  extremity  in  the  hen,  and 
having  well  defined  sickle  feathers  in  the  cock.  The  legs  should 
be  lead  color  or  black,  and  rather  short  than  otherwise. 


The  varieties  among  us  are  the  Black;  White;  the  Golden  Span- 
gled; and  the  Silver  Spangled. 

Black  Polands. — Cock;  body,  neck,  and  tail,  black,  with 
metallic  tints  of  green;  crest,  white,  with  a  few  black  feathers 
at  the  base  of  the  bill;  comb,  very  small,  consisting  only  of  two 


SULTAN    FOWL.  23 

or  throe  spikes;  large  wattles,  bright  red;  ear-lobe,  white;  the 
skull,  instead  of  being  flat  as  in  other  varieties,  has  a  fleshy  pro- 
tuberance or  round  knob. 

Hen;  the  same  colors;  wattles  smaller  than  those  of  the  cock; 
in  other  points  the  same. 

White  Polands. — These  should  be  pure  white  all  over  with 
the  exception  of  the  legs  which  are  of  a  blue  or  slate  color. 

Golden  Spangled. — Cock;  ground  color,  very  bright  ochre 
yellow,  black  spangles,  which,  in  a  particular  light,  have  a  beau- 
tiful greenish  tint;  crest,  chestnut,  with  a  few  white  feathers, 
black  beard;  comb  and  wattles  small;  hackle  and  saddle  feathers, 
golden  yellow;  thigh,  generally  black,  but  some  specimens  have 
them  spangled;  sickle  feathers,  dark  brown  and  very  large,  the 
smaller  side  ones  lighter  in  the  colors,  and  beautifully  faced  with 
black;  legs,  slate  color. 

Hens; — general  colors  the  same;  breast,  neck,  and  back,  span- 
gled; tail  and  wing  feathers,  laced. 

Silver  Spangled. — The  only  difference  between  this  variety 
and  the  precedmg  one  is  in  the  ground,  which  is  a  beautiful 
silver  white. 

The  Polands  very  often  have  crooked  backs;  when  buying 
them  the  best  mode  for  detecting  the  deformity  is  to  lay  the  palm 
of  the  right  hand  flat  on  the  bird's  back,  by  which  any  irregu- 
larity of  either  hip,  or  a  curve  in  the  back  bone  from  the  hips  to 
the  tail  will  be  detected. 


THE  SULTAN  FOWL. 

The  Sultans,  or  Feather- footed  White  Polish,  are  a  very  ele- 
gant and  pleasing  variety,  and  were  imported  from  Constanti- 
nople.   They  partake  of  the  character  of  the  Polish  in  their  chief 


24:  SULTAN    FOWL. 

characteristics,  in  compactness  of  form  and  good  laying  qualities. 

In  general  habits  they  are  brisk  and  happy  tempered.  They 
are  very  good  layers  of  large  white  eggs,  but  are  non-sitters  and 
small  eaters. 

As  adults  they  are  very  hardy,  with  the  exception  of  the  ten- 
dency to  cold,  to  which  all  crested  birds  are  subject  when  ex- 
posed; but  the  chickens,  from  their  rapid  and  early  feathering, 
are  difficult  to  rear,  evidently  suffering  severely  from  the  extra 
strain  on  their  young  constitutions. 


DESCRIPTION. 

In  form  they  are  very  plump,  full  crested,  short-legged  and 
compact;  the  plumage  pure  and  unsullied  white  throughout  and 
very  abundant;  their  tails  are  ample,  and  carried  erect;  their 
thighs  are  short,  and  furnished  with  feathers  which  project 
beyond  the  joint,  or  vulture  hocked.  Their  legs  are  short,  white, 
and  profusely  feathered  to  the  feet,  which  are  five  toed.  The 
comb  consists  of  two  small  spikes  situated  at  the  base  of  a  full- 
sized  globular  Polish  crest;  the  wattles  are  small  and  red,  wrin- 
kled, both  sexes  being  amply  bearded.  No  fowls  are  more  abun- 
dantly decorated — full  tail  of  sickle-feathers,  abundant  furnish- 
ing, boots,  vulture-hocks,  beards,  whiskers,  and  full  round  Polish 
crests,  formed  of  closely-set,  silky,  arched  feathers,  not  conceal- 
ing the  eyes,  but  leaving  them  unobscured. 

The  legs,  as  old  age  approaches,  are  apt  to  get  red,  swollen  and 
inflamed,  perhaps  from  the  spur  growing  in  a  curved  form  and 
producing  irritation. 

All  the  varieties  of  the  Polish  if  kept  in  a  damp  situation  are 
liable  to  a  cold,  apt  to  degenerate  into  roup,  and  if  they  are  too 
closely  bred,  liable  to  tuberculous  diseases  and  deformity  of  the 
spine,  causing  humpback,  they  are  also  very  subject  to  vermin 


MALAY   FOWL.  25 

unless  supplied  with  a  sand  batli;  vermin,  however,  may  be 
readUy  destroyed  by  dusting  flour  of  sulpher  under  the  feathers 
with  a  common  flour-dredger. 


THE  MALAY  FOWL, 


The  Malay  is  a  large  heavy  fowl,  with  close  fitting  plumage ; 
it  stands  very  high,  and  has  an  upright  carriage;  height  is  con- 
sidered a  great  point  in  this  breed;  the  head  is  small  for  the  size 
of  the  bird,  with  considerable  fulness  over  the  eye,  which  should 
be  pearl,  and  the  hawk  bill  should  be  quite  free  from  stain.  Like 
the  game  fowl,  the  Malays  are  most  pugnacious  and  determined 
fighters,  and  therefore  not  suitable  for  small  yards.  If  they  can 
get  no  other  enemy  they  will  even  fight  their  own  shadows. 

The  chickens  fledge  late,  and  have  for  a  long  while  a  bare, 
wretched  appearance.  They  require  a  dry,  warm  temperature, 
as  in  youth,  before  being  fully  feathered,  they  are  very  delicate 
and  highly  susceptible  of  cold  and  wet. 

The  Malays  are  good  layers  and  sitters  and  after  they  are  full 
grown,  can  be  kept  most  anywhere,  but  on  account  of  their 
vindictive  cruel  nature  they  are  by  no  means  desirable  to  have 
and  my  advice  is,  to  have  nothing  to  do  with  them. 


GAME  FOWIi. 


GAME  FOWLS. 


BLACK   BREASTED   RED   GAME    FOWLS. 


This  noble  race  has  relationship,  though  now  of  remote  gener- 
ations, with  the  Malays.  Before  we  had  any  of  this  breed,  the 
inhabitants  of  several  portions  of  the  Malay  or  Malacca  peninsula, 
and  various  parts  of  the  East,  possessed  them,  and  used  them 
chiefly  for  the  purpose  of  cock-fighting. 

A  thorough-bred  Game  cock  of  high  degree  never  fails  in 
courage  when  opposed  to  one  of  his  own  order.  And  the  Game 
fowl  is  the  only  bird  put  to  the  test  of  combat  to  prove  whether 
he  be  genuine  or  not. 


GAME    FO'WL.  27 

There  is  a  generally  recognized  standard  for  form  and  figure, 
which,  must  not  be  departed  from,  whatever  variety  of  color  the 
birds  may  present.  In  weight  they  vary;  four  pounds  eight  cr 
ten  ounces  was  the  weight  aimed  at  by  the  breeders  for  the  cock- 
pit, but  six  pounds  is  often  reached,  when  two  years  old;  but 
beyond  this  weight  impurity  of  blood  may  be  suspected. 

The  carriage  and  form  of  the  Game  cock  are  certainly  more 
beautiful  than  that  of  any  other  variety  of  domestic  fowl.  The 
neck  is  long,  strong  and  gracefully  curved;  the  hackle  short  and 
very  close;  the  breast  broad;  the  back  short,  broad  across  the 
shoulders;  the  whole  body  very  firm  and  hard,  with  a  perfectly 
straight  breast  and  back,  the  latter  tapering  toward  the  tail;  the 
wings  large  and  powerful,  and  carried  closely  pressed  into  the 
sides;  the  thighs  strong,  muscular  and  short,  tightly  clothed  wil  h 
feathers,  and  well  set  forward  on  the  body,  so  as  to  be  available 
for  fighting;  the  shanks  rather  long,  strong  but  not  coarse,  cov- 
ered with  fine  scales;  the  feet  flat  and  thin,  the  toes  long  and 
spreading,  so  as  to  give  a  good  hold  on  the  ground;  the  hind  toe 
must  be  set  low  down,  so  as  to  rest  flatly  on  the  ground,  and  not 
merely  touch  with  the  point — a  defect  which  is  known  as  "duck- 
footed,"  and  renders  the  bird  unsteady  when  pushed  backward 
by  his  opponent. 

The  plumage  is  compact,  hard  and  mail-like  to  a  remarkable 
degree,  and  possesses  a  brilliant  glossiness  that  cannot  be  sur- 
passed. The  tail  in  the  cock  is  rather  long,  the  sickle  feathers 
gracefully  arched  and  carried  closely  together,  the  whole  tail 
curved  backward  and  not  brought  forward  over  the  back — a 
defect  called  squirrel-tailed. 

The  head  is  extremely  beautiful,  being  thin  and  long,  like  that 
of  a  greyhound ;  the  beak  massive  at  its  root,  strong,  and  well 
curved;  the  eye  large,  very  full,  and  brilliant  in  lustre;  the  ear- 
lobe  and  face  of  a  bright  scarlet,  and  the  comb  in  undubbed 
birds  single,  erect,  and  thin.     The  spur,  which  is  exceedingly 


GAME    FOWL. 


dense  and  sharp,  should  be  set  low  on  the  leg,  increasing  its 
power;  spurs  are  frequently  on  the  hens. 

In  the  hen,  the  form,  making  due  allowance  for  the  difference 


of  sex  and  alteration  of  plumage,  resembles  that  of  the  cock. 
The  head  is  neater,  the  face  lean  and  thin.  The  small  thin  comb 
should  be  low  in  front,  evenly  serrated,   and  perfectly  erect, 


GAME   FOWL. 


29 


The  deaf-ear  and  wattles  should  be  small.  The  neck,  from  the 
absence  of  hackle  feathers,  looks  longer  and  more  slender  than 
that  of  her  mate.  The  tail  feathers  should  be  held  closely- 
together,  and  not  spread  out  like  a  fan.  The  plumage  should  be 
so  close  that  the  form  of  the  wing  should  be  distinctly  visible, 
the  outline  not  being  hidden  by  the  feathers  of  the  body. 

As  the  Game  fowl  is  impatient  of  restraint,  a  good  grass  run 
is  essential  to  keep  it  in  good  condition.  In  breeding  great*  care 
must  be  taken  in  matching,  as  regards  form,  feather  and  the 
color  of  the  beak  and  legs.  Much  depends  upon  the  purity  of 
the  hens,  for  a  good  Game  hen,  with  a  dunghill  cock,  will  breed 
good  fighting  birds,  but  the  best  Game  cock,  with  a  dunghill 
hen,  will  not  breed  a  bird  good  for  anything.  It  is  not  desirable 
to  mate  old  birds;  a  stag,  or  last  year's  bird  placed  with  hens 
two  or  three  years  old,  will  produce  finer  chickens  than  when 
an  old  cock  is  mated  with  last  season's  hens.  For  great  excel- 
lence, four  hens  with  one  cock  is  sufficient. 

The  hens  are  good  layers  and  as  sitters  have  no  superiors. 
Quiet  on  their  eggs,  regular  in  coming  off,  and  confident,  in  their 
fearlessness,  of  repelling  intruders,  they  rarely  fail  to  rear  good 
broods,  and  defend  them  from  violent  attacks. 

The  newly-hatched  chickens  are  very  attractive;  those  of  the 
darker  breeds  are  light  brown,  with  a  dark  brown  stripe  down 
the  back  and  a  narrower  line  over  the  eye.  The  duck- wings, 
grays  and  blues  have  proportionally  paler  hues,  but  the  stripe  is 
seldom  absent. 

The  chickens  feather  rapidly,  and  with  good  care  and  liberal, 
varied  diet,  such  as  cottage  cheese,  chopped  egg,  with  a  portion 
of  onions,  bread  crumbs,  grits,  boiled  oatmeal,  barley  and  wheat, 
with  some  milk  in  the  earlier  stages  of  their  growth,  are  reared 
with  less  difficulty  than  other  fowls. 

As  Game  fowls  will  fight,  and  as  they  are  frequently  trained 
for  fighting,  it  is  argued  that  their  combs,  ear-lobes  and  wattles 


30  DOMINIQUE    FOWL. 

should  be  removed,  or  * 'dubbed."     This  had  best  be  entrusted 
to  the  skilled  professional. 

VARIETIES. 

The  recognized  varieties  of  Game  fowls  are — the  Black;  Black 
breasted  Red;  "White;  "White  Pile;  Blue;  Brown-red;  Red  Pile; 
Gray;  Spangled;  Ginger-red;  Silver  Duck-wing;  Yellow  Duck- 
wing. 


DOMINIQUE  FOWL. 


BANTAMS.  31 

THE  DOMINIQUE  FOWL. 

This  seems  to  be  a  tolerable  distinct  and  permanent  variety, 
about  the  size  of  the  common  Dunghill  Fowl.  Their  name  is 
taken  from  the  island  of  Dominica,  from  which  they  are  reported 
to  have  been  imported.  Take  all  in  all,  they  are  one  of  the  very 
best  breeds  of  fowl  which  we  have;  and  although  they  do  not 
come  in  to  laying  so  young  as  the  Spanish,  they  are  far  better 
sitters  and  nursers .  Their  combs  are  generally  double,  and  the 
wattles  are  quite  small.  Their  plumage  presents,  all  over,  a  sort 
of  greenish  appearance,  from  a  peculiar  arrangement  of  blue  and 
white  feathers,  which  is  the  chief  characteristic  of  the  variety; 
although,  in  some  specimens,  the  plumage  is  gray  in  both  cock 
and  hen.  They  are  very  hardy,  healthy,  excellent  layers  and 
capital  sitters.  No  fowl  have  better  stood  the  tests  of  mixing 
without  deteriorating  than  the  pure  Dominique. 


SEBKIGUT   BANTAM. 


38  HAMBURG   FOWL. 

THE  BANTAMS. 

Bantams  are  generally  kept  more  for  show  and  amusement 
than  anything  else,  although,  even  as  profitable  poultry  they  are 
not  destitute  of  merit;  in  proportion  to  the  food  they  consume, 
they  furnish  a  fair  supply  of  eggs.  As  table  fowls,  the  hardy 
little  Game  Bantams  are  excellent,  plump,  full  chested  and 
meaty.  As  useful  and  ornamental  pets,  I  know  of  no  birds  that 
are  superior.  The  Sebright  Bantams  are  the  most  esteemed  by 
fanciers.  The  cocks  should  not  weigh  more  than  twenty-seven 
ounces;  hens  about  twenty-three,  but  the  lighter  in  weight  the 
more  they  are  appreciated. 

The  chicks  of  the  Bantams  generally  should  be  hatched  in  fine 
weather,  and  kept  for  some  time  in  a  cozy  place. 
VARIETIES. 

Golden  Sebright;  Silver  Sebright;  Game;  Rose-combed  Black: 
Rose-combed  White;  Japanese;  Pekin;  Booted  White;  and  White- 
crested  White  Polish. 


GOLDEN  SPANGLED  HAMBURG  COCK  AND  HEN. 


HAMBURG   FOWL. 


THE  HAMBURG  FOWL. 

These  fowls  are  "Everlasting  layers"  and  are  seldom  inclined 
to  sit.  They  are  too  small  in  size  to  rear  for  table,  and  I  think 
too  delicate  when  young  to  rear  at  all;  only  they  are  such  won- 
derfully good  layers,  that  one  dislikes  to  dispense  with  them. 
They  are  also  known  as  Chittaprats,  Bolton  Greys,  Pencilled 
Dutch,  Silver  Hamburgs,  Creole,  Bolton  Bays,  Golden  Ham- 
burgs.  They  are  a  very  noisy  fowl,  and  if  the  hen-roost  should 
be  disturbed  at  night,  nothing  but  death  or  liberty  will  induce 
them  to  hold  the  peace. 


SILYEK   SrANGLED   HAMBURGS. 


DESCRIPTION  AND  VARIETIES. 

The  Hamburgs  have  a  graceful  and  upright  carriage.  The 
head  in  the  cock  is  small;  beak  of  a  dark  color,  medium  in  size; 
rose  comb  of  a  deep  red  color  not  inclining  to  droop  on  either 


34  PLYMOUTH  KOCKS. 

side,  the  top  covered  with  small  points  and  ending  m  a  spike; 
ear-lobes,  white  of  medium  size;  wattles,  red;  neck  curved; 
hackle,  large  and  flowing;  body,  round;  breast,  very  full;  plu- 
mage close  and  glossy;  legs  rather  short.  The  varieties  are — 
Black;  White;  Golden  Pencilled;  Silver  Pencilled;  Golden 
Spangled;  Silver  Spangled. 


PLYMOUTH  ROOKS. 

*  **  If  there  is  a  better  breed  for  the  farmer,  or  for  those  who 
desire  both  eggs  and  chickens,  we  have  failed  to  find  it:  although 
many  have  been  tried  and  'found  wanting.'  " 

The  great  popularity  that  the  Plymouth  Rock  fowl  has  attained 
in  so  short  a  time,  is  without  a  parallel  in  the  annals  of  gallina- 
culture,  and  no  other  breed  is  so  highly  esteemed  in  America 
to-day.  It  has  attained  this  popularity,  too,  entirely  on  its  own 
intrinsic  merit,  without  the  eclat  of  foreign  origin,  or  the  outlay 
of  large  suras  of  money  in  "puffing."  As  tahle  fowls,  they  have 
no  equal  in  America;  being  exceedingly  sweet,  juicy,  fine-grained, 
tender,  and  delicate.  As  spring  chickens,  they  are  the  very  best 
breed,  for,  added  to  the  excellence  of  their  flesh,  they  feather 
early,  and  mature  with  remarkable  rapidity.  As  market  fowls, 
they  are  unsurpassed,  being  large  (cocks  weigh  9  to  11  pounds, 
hens  7  to  9),  and  very  plump  bodies,  with  full  breasts,  clean, 
bright  yellow  legs,  and  yellow  skin;  they  always  command  the 
highest  price.  As  egg-producers,  they  are  only  excelled  by  the 
Leghorn  class,  and   lay  more  eggs  than  any  other  breed  that 


PLYMOUTH   ROCKS. 


35 


hatc'nes  and  rears  its  own  young,  and  can  be  depended  upon  for 
eggs  all  the  year  round.    Theii-  eggs  are  also  of  large  size,  very  rich, 


and  fine -flavored,    from  white  to  redish-brown   in    color.     In 
hardiness,    both   as  chicks   and   mature   fowls,    they    arc    also 


36 


PLYMOUTH  ROCKS. 


unequaled,  and  being  out-and-out  an  American  breed,  they  adapt 
themselves  to  all  climates  and  situations  better  than  any  other 
breed.  Their  combs  and  wattles  being  of  moderate  size,  are  not 
liable  to  freeze,  and  they  have  no  feathers  on  the  lower  part  of 
their  legs  to  drabble  in  the  snow  and  mud,  and  thereby  chill 
them.  In  plumage,  they  are  bluish-gray,  each  feather  distinctly 
penciled  across  with  bars  of  a  darker  color,  hence  are  very 
admirable,  and  not  likely  to  become  soiled  by  the  smoke  and 
dust  of  the  city.  Added  to  their  fine  plumage,  their  symmetrical 
form  and  upright  and  pleasing  carriage  enable  them  to  vie  with 
most  breeds,  either  upon  the  lawn,  in  the  yard  of  the  fancier,  or 
in  the  exhibition  hall.  As  mothers,  they  are  excellent,  being 
neither  non-sitters  nor  persistent  sitters,  are  kind  and  gentle, 
and  good  foragers.  In  disposition,  they  are  quiet,  gentle,  and 
cheerful,  bear  confinement  well,  and  are  easily  confined,  their 
wings  being  too  small,  and  bodies  too  large  to  admit  to  much 
progress  in  fight.  If  given  range,  they  will  find  their  own  living, 
and  if  confined,  need  a  remarkably  small  amount  of  food  for 
such  large  fowls.  In  fine,  this  comparatively  new  breed  com- 
bines all  the  sturdy  and  excellent  qualities  of  the  ideal  fowl  to  a 
wonderful  degree,  (the  merits  of  the  large  flesh- producing  and 
small  egg-producing  breeds, )  filling  a  place  long  sought  for,  but 
never  before  attained,  and  is  a  golden  mean.  It  is  pre-eminently 
the  farmer's  and  mechanics'  fowl — in  fact  the  best  fowl  for  all 
who  have  facilities  for  keeping  but  one  variety,  and  desire  that 
one  to  be  a  ''general  purpose"  breed. 


LANGSHAKS. 


LANGSHANS. 


LANGSHAN  FOWL. 


The  Langshan  is  the  latest  acquisition  to  our  poultry  yards 
from  Asia,  and,  judging  from  our  experience  with  other  Asiatic 
breeds,  their  origin  certainly  augers  well  for  their  future  in  this 
country.  They  are  natives  of  northern  China,  and  consequently 
accustomed  to  its  rugged  climate. 

The  discoverer  of  this  variety  in  China  was  a  scientist  in  the 
employ  of  the  British  government,  and  not  a  "chicken  fancier," 
particularly.  Eight  years  ago,  he  wrote  thus  to  his  English 
friends:  "I  send  you  some  fine  fowls  by  the  steamer  Arcldlles, 
of  Hall  &  Holt's  line.  They  are  clear  black,  and  are  called  Lang- 
shans.     Look  out  for  their  arrival  and  send  for  them  without 


38  LANGSHANS. 

delay."  *  *  *  A  second  letter  stated  that  ''the  fowls  I  am 
sending  you  are  very  fine.  Their  plumage  is  of  a  bright  glossy 
black.  I  have  never  seen  any  like  them  before,  and  I  am  told 
their  flesh  is  excellent.  The  Chinese  say  they  are  allied  to  the 
wild  turkey;  they  are  very  valuable  birds.  You  must  be  very 
careful  of  them,  and  get  them  acclimated  by  degrees." 

These  birds  we  sent  to  Major  A.  C.  Croad,  Durington  Worth- 
ing, England,  from  his  nephew,  who  was,  a  few  years  ago,  upon 
an  exploring  expedition  under  orders  from  the  English  govern- 
ment, in  the  north  of  China,  M'here  he  discovered  this  fine  variety 
of  fowls,  in  the  province  of  Langslian,  and  sent  home  the  first 
that  were  ever  seen  in  England. 

Upon  the  arrival  of  the  ArcMlles,  in  England,  Major  Croad 
lost  no  time  in  sending  for  his  birds;  and  the  messenger,  on  his 
return,  informed  him  that  the  new  arrivals  had  received  quite  an 
ovation  in  the  docks,  people  crowding  to  have  a  look  at  them, 
asking  what  breed  they  were,  and  whether  they  were  for  sale, 
etc.  The  captain  of  the  steamer  told  him  that,  although  he  had 
been  several  times  to  china,  he  had  never  met  with  any  fowls 
like  these  before. 

The  Langshans  were  publicly  exhibited  the  next  year  at  the 
Crystal  Palace  and  other  leading  shows,  and  were  bred  success- 
fully for  three  or  four  years,  the  stock  being  kept  under  the 
supervision  of  the  agents  of  the  original  importer. 

They  were  of  late  years  imported  to  America,  and  our  Ameri- 
can fanciers  speak  well  of  them;  in  fact  they  are  the  best  birds 
that  were  ever  imported  from  China.  Langshans  have  straight 
red  combs,  somewhat  larger  than  those  of  Cochins.  Their 
breast  is  full,  broad  and  round,  and  carried  well  forward,  being 
well  meated,  similar  to  the  Dorkings.  Their  body  is  round  and 
deep  like  the  Brahmas.  The  universal  color  of  the  plumage  is  a 
rich  metallic  black.  The  tail  is  long,  full  feathered,  and  of  the 
same  color  as  the  body.     The  color  of  their  legs  is  a  blue  black, 


WYANDOTTES.  39 

with  a  purplish  tint  between  the  toes.  The  average  weight  of  a 
cockerel,  at  seven  or  eight  months,  when  fattened,  is  about  ten 
pounds;  and  a  pullet  about  eight  pounds.  Their  carriage  is  sty- 
lish and  stately. 

The  good  qualities  claimed  for  the  Langshans  are  the  follow- 
ing :  They  are  hardy,  withstanding  readily  even  severest  weather. 
They  attain  maturity  quite  as  early  as  any  of  the  large  breeds. 
They  lay  large,  rich  eggs  all  the  year  round,  and  are  not  inveter- 
ate sitters.  Being  of  large  size,  with  white  flesh  and  skin,  they 
make  an  excellent  table  fowl;  more  especially  so  on  account  of 
the  delicacy  of  the  flavor  which  the  flesh  possesses.  To  briefly 
summarize,  I  may  then  say  that  this  breed  is  worth  the  attention 
of  all.  Firstly,  because  they  come  from  a  part  of  the  world 
which  has  given  us  many  of  our  most  excellent  breeds;  and 
secondly,  because  their  popularity  is  in  the  ascendency,  and  they 
seem  to  combine  in  themselves  nearly  all  the  valuable  charac- 
teristics that  go  to  make  up  a  practically  useful  fowl. 

1  give  in  connection  with  this  article  a  wood-cut  of  a  pair  of 
Langshans,  believing  that  a  faithful  illustration  will  do  more 
to  give  an  accurate  idea  than  even  an  extended  description.  lb 
will  be  observed  that,  apparently,  they  are  more  like  the  Black 
Cochin  than  any  other  breed  with  which  we  are  familiar,  but 
in  reality  they  differ  very  essentially  from  them. 


WYANDOTTES. 


This  new  breed  have  so  many  points  to  recommend  them,  both 
to  the  fancier  and  farmer,  that  they  will  surely  become  veiy 


40 


WYANDOTTES. 


popular.  Their  plumage  is  white,  heavily  laced  with  black? 
the  tail  alone  being  solid  black;  the  lacing  on  the  breast 
is  peculiarly  handsome.     They  have   a  small  rose  comb,  close- 


TnE  -WYANDOTTES. 


fitting;  face  and  ear  lobes  bright  red.  Their  legs  are 
free  from  feathers  and  are  of  a  rich  yellow  color.  In  shape 
they  bear  more  resemblance   to  the   Dorkings  than  any  other 


LEGHORN    FOWL. 


41 


breed.  Hens  weigh  8  to  9  pounds,  cocks  9  to  10  pounds,  when 
full  grown.  They  are  very  hardy,  mature  early,  and  are  ready 
to  market  at  any  age.  Their  flesh  is  very  fine  flavored  and  close 
grained,  which,  with  their  yellow  skin,  model  shape  and  fine, 
plump  appearance,  particularly  adapts  them  for  market.  They 
are  extraordinary  layers,  surprising  every  breeder  at  the  quan- 
tity of  eggs  they  produce.  If  allowed  to  sit  they  make  most 
careful  mothers,  are  content  anywhere,  and  will  not  attempt  to 
fly  over  a  fence  four  feet  high.  Their  great  beauty  and  good 
qualities  will  make  for  them  a  host  of  friends  wherever  the  breed 
is  introduced. 


THE  LEGHORN  FOWL, 


KOSE  COMB  BROWN  LEGHORN. 


42 


LEGHORN    FOWL. 


This  abmirable  breed  of  fowls  has  become  widely  disseminated 
in  the  United  States.  They  are  valued  for  their  many  good 
qualities,  among  which  are  beauty  and  constant  laying  propensi- 
ties. 


BROWN  LEGHORN  COCK. 


They  are  very  hardy  fowls,  possessing  all  the  advantages  of 
the  Spanish  without  their  drawbacks.  Their  legs  are  bright 
yellow,  and  perfectly  free  from  feathering  on  the  shanks.  The 
faces  are  red,  the  ear  lobes  only  being  white.  The  comb  in  the 
cock  is  thin,  erect  and  evenly  serrated.  In  the  hen  it  falls  over 
like  that  of  a  Spanish  hen.  The  tail  in  the  cock  is  exceedingly 
well  furnished  with  side  sickle-feathers,  and  in  both  sexes  is 
carried  perfectly  erect.     The  birds  are   active,  good  foragers, 


LEGHORN    FOWL.  4d 

and  have  a  very  handsome  and  sprightly  carriage.  They  are 
abundant  layers  of  full  sized  eggs,  the  hens  rarely  showing  any 
inclination  to  sit,  but  laying  the  whole  year  round,  except  during 
the  annual  month.  The  chickens  are  very  hardy;  they  feather 
quickly  and  mature  rapidly,  thus  having  the  advantage  over  the 
Spanish. 


BROWN  LEGHORN  HEN. 


These  fowls  are  exceedingly  useful  as  well  as  ornamental 
addition  to  our  stock  of  poultry;  they  are  more  valuable  to  egg- 
farmers  than  breeders  of  table  fowls,  as  they  are  but  small  eaters 
and  so  do  not  put  on  flesh  quickly.  To  people,  however,  who 
depend  on  their  poultry  bringing  them  a  constant  supply  of  eggs, 
they  are  invaluable. 


44  FRENCH   BREEDS. 

LEGHORN  VARIETIES. 

Black ;  White ;   Brown,  and  Dominiques. 


LEGHORN   FOWL. 


THE  FRENCH  BREEDS. 


Crevecceurs. — These  birds  are  generally  supposed  to  be  of 
Norman  origin,  and  to  owe  their  name  to  tbe  little  village  of 
Crevecoeur^,  not  far  from  Lisieux.    They  are  fine,  well  plumaged 


FRENCH  BREEDS.  45 

black  birds,  with  large  crests  on  their  heads,  in  the  front  of  which 
are  situated  the  two  horns,  or  spikes,  which  arise  from  the 
bifurcation  of  the  comb.  They  give  the  bird  a  very  curious 
look,  and  make  his  head  resemble  the  pictures  of  that  of  his 
Satanic  majesty.  The  birds  are  well  shaped,  with  rather  large 
legs  of  a  leaden  grey  color.  The  hens  lay  large  white  eggs, 
but  are  not  good  sitters.  The  pullets  mature  early,  and  as  they 
lay  soon,  put  on  fat  readily,  and  are  of  a  good  shape  for  table ; 
they  are,  in  dry  warm  localities,  profitable  fowls  to  keep;  they 
bear  confinement  well,  but  are  rather  difficult  to  rear,  and  have 
a  decided  tendency  to  "roup.,'  If  crossed  with  Brahmas  or 
Leghorns  they  might  probably  become  more  hardy. 


LA  FLECHE  FOWLS. 

These  birds  may  be  considered,  I  think,  the  best  of  the 
French  fowls  for  table  ;  they  are  also  more  hardy  than  the 
Crevecoeurs,  and  have  more  size  and  more  style,  being 
handsome,  upstanding  birds,  in  color  jet  black,  with  rich,  me- 
tallic plumage;  their  ear  lobes  are  large  and  perfectly  white, 
their  faces  bright  red  and  free  from  feathers.  The  comb  in 
good  well-bred  birds  does  not  vary  with  the  sex,  and  is  in  the 
shape  of  a  pair  of  straight  horns;  the  leg-scales  are  lead  color, 
hard  and  firm.  The  cocks  are  tall  without  being  at  all  leggy; 
the  hens  have  large  and  rather  long  bodies,  longish  necks,  and 
thin  clean  legs.  The  best  specimens  come  from  the  North  of 
France,  though  they  are  not  even  there  easy  to  procure,  as  the 
French  do  not  go  in  for  keeping  the  different  breeds  of  fowls 
distinct,  so  it  is  hard  to  obtain  really  pure-bred  birds. 


46  FRENCH    BKEEDS. 


HOUDANS, 


HOUDAN    COCK  AND  HEN. 

These  are  considered  the  best  French  fowls,  and  of  late  years 
have  become  great  favorites  with  poultry-fanciers.  They  have, 
like  the  Dorkings,  five  claws  on  each  foot ;  their  plumage  is  black 
and  white,  shaded  with  violet  and  green  ;  they  are  crested  birds, 
the  crest  turning  backwards  over  the  neck ;  their  cheeks  are  well 
feathered,  and  wattles  well  developed.  They  differ  from  other 
species  by  several  remarkable  traits,  the  head  forms  a  very 
obtuse  angle  with  the  neck,  so  that  the  beak  is  depressed  and 
viewed  from  above  appears  like  a  nose.  The  flat  square  comb 
looks  like  a  fleshy  forehead;  the  cheeks  are  surrounded  with 
curling  feathers  which  resemble  whiskers;  the  reversed  corners 
of  the  beak  have  the  appearance  of  a  mouth.  The  crest  looks 
like  a  head  of  hair,  and  the  entire  visage  instantly  reminds  the 
spectator  of  a  man's  face. 


DOMESTIC  TURKEY.  47 

Houdans  are  hardy,  not  difficult  to  rear  good  steady  layers, 
but  non-sitters  ;  they  put  on  fat  readily,  and  are  very  good  table 
fowls,  flesh  excellent  and  shapely  in  form. 


THE  DOMESTIC  TURKEY. 


DOMESTIC   TURKEY. 

The  domestic  turkey  can  scarcely  be  said  to  be  divided,  like 
the  common  fowl,  into  distinct  breeds  ;  although  there  is  consi- 
derable variation  in  color,  as  well  as  in  size.     The  finest  and 


48  DOMESTIC  TURKEY. 

strongest  birds  are  those  of  a  bronzed-black ;  these  are  not  only- 
reared  the  most  easily,  but  are  generally  the  largest,  and  fatten 
the  most  rapidly.  Some  turkeys  are  of  a  coppery  tint,  some  of  a 
delicate  fawn-color,  while  others  are  parti-colored,  grey,  and 
white,  and  some  few  of  a  pure  snow  white.  All  of  the  latter 
are  regarded  as  inferior  to  the  black,  their  color  indicating  some- 
thing like  degeneracy  of  constitution. 

To  describe  the  domestic  turkey  is  superfluous;  the  voice  of 
the  male;  the  changing  colors  of  the  skin  of  the  head  and  neck; 
his  proud  strut,  with  expanded  tail  and  lowered  wings,  jarring 
on  the  ground;  his  irascibility,  which  is  readily  excited  by  red 
or  scarlet  colors,  are  points  with  which  all  who  dvvell  in  the 
country  are  conversant. 

The  adult  turkey,  is  extremely  hardy,  and  bears  the  rigors  of 
winter  with  impunity  even  in  the  open  air;  for  during  the 
severest  weather,  flocks  will  frequently  roost  at  night  upon  the 
roof  of  a  barn,  or  the  branches  of  tall  trees,  preferring  such  an 
accommodation  to  an  indoor  roost.  The  impatience  of  restraint 
and  restlessness  of  the  turkey,  render  it  unfit  company  for  fowls 
in  their  domitory;  in  fact  the  fowl  house  is  altogether  an  im- 
proper place  for  these  large  birds,  which  require  open  sheds  and 
high  perches,  and  altogether  as  much  freedom  as  is  consistent 
with  their  safety. 

Although,  turkeys  will  roost  even  during  the  winter  months 
on  trees,  it  is  by  no  means  recommended  that  this  should  be 
allowed,  as  the  feet  of  these  birds  are  apt  to  become  frostbitten 
from  such  exposure  to  the  air  on  the  sudden  decline  of  the  tem- 
perature far  below  the  freezing  point. 

Turkeys  are  fond  of  wandering  about  pastuies,  and  the  borders 
of  fields,  or  in  fact  any  place  where  they  can  find  insects,  snails, 
slugs,  etc. ,  which  they  greedily  devour.  In  the  morning,  they 
should  have  a  good  supply  of  grain,  and  after  their  rerurn  from 
their  peregrinations  another  feed;  by  this  plan,  not  only  will  the 


DOMESTIC   TURKEY  49 

due  return  home  of  the  flock  be  insured,  but  the  birds  -will  be 
kept  in  good  condition,  and  ready  at  any  time  to  be  put  upon 
fattening  diet.  Never  let  them  be  in  poor  condition — this  is  an 
axiom  in  the  treatment  of  all  poultry — it  is  difficult,  and  takes  a 
long  time,  to  bring  a  bird  into  proper  condition,  which  has  been 
previously  poorly  fed  or  half  starved. 

The  turkey  hen  is  a  steady  sitter;  nothing  will  induce  her  to 
leave  the  nest;  indeed,  she  often  requires  to  be  removed  to  her 
food,  so  overpowering  is  her  instinctive  affection;  she  must  be 
freely  supplied  with  water  within  her  reach;  should  she  lay  any 
eggs  after  she  has  commenced  incubation,  these  should  be 
removed — it  is  proper,  therefore,  to  mark  those  which  were 
given  to  her  to  sit  upon.  The  hen  should  now  on  no  account,  be 
rashly  disturbed;  no  one  except  the  person  to  whom  she  is  accus- 
tomed, and  from  whom  she  receives  her  food,  should  be  allowed 
to  go  near  her,  and  the  eggs,  unless  circumstances  imperatively 
require  it,  should  not  be  meddled  with. 

The  hen  usually  sits  twice  in  the  year,  after  laying  from  a 
dozen  to  fifteen  or  more  eggs,  on  alternate  days,  or  two  days  in 
succession,  with  the  interval  of  one  day  afterwards,  before  each 
breeding.  She  commences  her  first  laying  in  March;  and  if  a 
second  early  laying  is  desired,  after  she  has  hatched  her  brood, 
it  is  economical  to  transfer  the  chicks  immediately  after  they 
leave  the  shell  to  another  turkey-hen  which  had  begun  to  incu- 
bate contemporaneously  with  her,  and  will  now  take  willing 
charge  of  the  two  young  families.  This,  however,  cannot  be 
viewed  as  a  benevolent  proceeding;  and  much  less  so  if  the 
mother  be  deprived  of  her  offspring,  and  the  consequent  pleas- 
ure of  rearing  them,  for  the  purpose  of  putting  a  fresh  set  of 
eggs  under  her,  which  she  will  steadily  hatch  for  three  or  four 
weeks  more.  In  this  case,  however,  fowls'  eggs  are  usually 
given,  from  merciful  consideration  to  abridge  the  period  of  incu- 
bation from  thirty-one  to  twenty-one  days. 


50  DOMESTIC   TURKEY. 

According  to  the  size  of  the  hen,  the  season,  and  the  range 
local  temperature,  the  number  of  eggs  for  each  hatch  may  be 
stated  at  from  eleven  to  seventeen;  thirteen  is  a  fair  average 
number.  As  the  hen  lays  them,  her  eggs  should  be  immedi- 
ately removed,  and  kept  apart  until  the  time  for  sitting  them; 
else  the  awkward  bird  might  break  them  in  the  nest,  as  she 
goes  in  or  out  of  it.  "While  she  is  incubating,  the  cock  bird 
should  not  be  permitted  to  approach  it,  lest  he  should  mischiev- 
ously break  the  eggs  or  disturb  the  hen. 

On  about  the  thirtieth  day,  the  chicks  leave  the  eggs;  the 
little  ones  for  some  hours  will  be  in  no  hurry  to  eat;  but  when 
they  do  begin,  supply  them  constantly  and  abundantly  with 
chopped  eggs,  shreds  of  meat  and  fat,  curd,  boiled  rice,  mixed 
with  lettuce,  and  the  green  of  onions.  Melted  mutton  suet 
poured  over  barley  or  Indian-meal  dough,  and  cut  up  when  cold 
is  an  excellent  thing.  ■  Little  turkeys  do  not  like  their  food  to  be 
minced  much  smaller  than  they  can  swallow  it;  indolently  pre- 
ferring to  make  a  meal  at  three  or  four  mouthfuls  to  troubling 
themselves  with  the  incessant  pecking  and  scratching  in  which 
chickens  so  much  delight.  But  at  any  rate,  the  quantity  con- 
sumed costs  but  little  ;  the  attention  to  supply  it  is  everything. 

As  in  the  case  of  young  fowls,  the  turkey  chicks  do  not  require 
food  for  several  hours  after  they  have  emerged  from  their  shells. 

It  is  useless  to  cram  them  as  some  do,  fearing  lest  they  should 
starTe;  and  besides,  the  beak  is  as  yet  so  tender  that  it  runs  a 
chance  of  being  injured  by  the  i^rocess.  There  is  no  occasion 
for  alarm  if,  for  thirty  hours,  thqy  content  themselves  with  the 
warmth  of  their  parent  and  enjoy  her  care.  When  the  chicks 
feel  an  inclination  for  food,  it  will  soon  become  apparent  to  you 
by  their  actions,  then  feed  them  as  I  have  before  directed. 

FATTENING. 

About  the  middle  of  September  or  the  first  of  October,  it  will 


DOMESTIC   TURKEY.  51 

be  time  to  begin  to  think  of  fattening  some  of  the  earliest  broods, 
in  order  to  supply  the  markets.  A  hen  will  be  four  or  five  weeks 
in  fatting;  a  large  cock  two  months  or  longer,  in  reaching  his 
full  weight.  The  best  diet  is  barley  or  Indian  meal,  mixed  with 
water,  given  in  troughs  that  have  a  flat  board  over  them,  to  keep 
dirt  from  falling  in.  A  turnip  with  the  leaves  attached,  or  a 
hearted  cabbage,  may  now  and  then  be  thrown  down  to  amuse 
them.  When  they  have  arrived  at  the  desired  degree  of  fatness, 
those  which  are  not  wanted  for  immediate  use  must  have  no 
more  food  given  them  than  is  just  sufficient  to  keep  them  in 
that  state;  otherwise  the  flesh  will  become  red  and  inflamed, 
and  of  course  less  palatable  and  wholesome.  But  with  the  very 
best  management,  after  having  attained  their  acme  of  fattening, 
they  will  frequently  descend  again,  and  that  so  quickly,  and 
without  apparent  cause,  as  to  become  quite  thin.  Turkeys  fatten 
faster,  and  with  less  expense,  by  caponizing  them,  which,  also, 
produces  better  and  sweeter  flesh. 


52 


GUINEA  FOWL. 


THE  GUINEA  FOWL. 


THE  GUINEA  FOWL. 


Of  all  known  birds,  this,  perhaps  is  the  most  prolific  of  eggs. 
Week  after  week  and  month  after  month  see  little  or  no  inter- 
mission of  the  daily  deposit.  Even  the  process  of  moulting  is 
sometimes  insufficient  to  draw  off  the  nutriment  the  creature 
takes  to  make  feathers  instead  of  eggs.  From  their  great  apti- 
tude for  laying,  and  also  from  the  very  little  disposition  they  show 
to  sit,  it  is  believed,  that  these  birds  in  their  native  country, 
(Africa)  do  not  sit  at  all  on  their  eggs,  but  leave  them  to  be 
hatched  by  the  sun. 

It  is  not  every  one  who  knows  a  cock  from  a  hen  of  this 
species.  An  unerring  rule  is,  that  the  hen  alone  uses  the  call 
note  "come  back,"  "come  back,"  accenting  the  second  syllable 


GUINEA  FOWL.  S3 

strongly.  The  cock  has  only  the  harsh  shrill  cry  of  alarm, 
which,  however,  is  also  common  to  the  female. 

There  is  one  circumstance,  in  regard  to  the  habits  of  the  guinea 
cock,  that  is,  he  pairs  only  with  his  mate  in  most  cases,  like  a 
partridge  or  a  pigeon.  In  the  case  where  a  guinea  cock  and  two 
hens  are  kept,  it  will  be  found,  on  close  observation,  that  though 
the  three  keep  together  so  as  to  form  one  pack,  yet  that  the  cock 
and  one  hen  will  be  unkind  and  stingy  to  the  other  unfortunate 
female,  keep  her  at  a  certain  distance,  merely  suffering  her 
society.  The  neglected  hen  will  lay  eggs,  in  appearance,  like 
those  of  the  other,  in  the  same  nest.  If  they  are  to  be  eaten,  all 
well  and  good;  but  if  a  brood  is  wanted  and  the  eggs  of  the 
despised  one  chance  to  be  taken  for  the  purpose  of  hatching,  the 
result  is  disappointment  and  addled  eggs. 

It  is  best  to  hatch  the  eggs  of  the  guinea  fowl  under  a  hen  of 
some  other  species;  a  Bantam  hen  makes  a  first  class  mother, 
being  lighter,  and  less  likely  to  injure  the  eggs  by  treading  on 
them  than  a  full  sized  fowl.  She  will  well  cover  nine  eggs,  and 
incubation  will  last  about  a  month. 

Feed  the  chicks  frequently,  five  or  six  times  a  day  is  not  too 
often,  they  have  such  extraordinary  powers  of  digestion,  and 
their  growth  is  so  rapid,  that  they  require  food  every  two  hours. 
A  check  once  received  can  never  be  recovered.  In  such  cases 
they  do  not  mope  and  pine,  for  a  day  or  two,  like  young  turkeys 
under  similar  circumstances  and  then  die ;  but  in  half  an  hour  after, 
being  in  apparent  health,  they  fall  on  their  backs,  give  a  convul- 
sive kick  or  two,  and  fall  victims  to  starvation.  Hard-boiled 
egg,  chopped  fine,  small  worms,  bread  crumbs,  chopped  meat, 
or  suet,  whatever,  in  short,  is  most  nutritious,  is  their  most 
appropriate  food. 


54 


DOMESTIC  GOOSiu. 


THE  DOMESTIC  GOOSE. 


THE  DOMESTIC  GOOSE. 


With  respect  to  the  range  and  accommodation  of  geese,  they 
require  a  house  apart  from  other  fowls,  and  a  green  pasture, 
with  a  convenient  pond  or  stream  of  water  attached.  The  house 
must  he  situated  in  a  dry  place,  for  geese  at  all  times^  are  fond 
of  a  clean,  dry  place  to  sleep  in,  however  much  they  may  like  to 
swim  in  water.  It  is  not  a  good  method  to  keep  geese  with  other 
poultry;  for  when  confined  in  the  poultry-yard,  they  become  very 
pugnacious,  and  will  very  much  harrass  the  hens  and  turkeys. 

In  allowing  geese  to  range  at  large,  it  is  well  to  know  that  they 
are  very  destructive  to  all  garden  and  farm  crops,  as  well  as  to 


DOMESTIC   GOOSE.  55 

youn^  trees,  and  must,  therefore,  be  carefully  excluded  from 
orchards  and  cultivated  fields*  It  is  usual  to  prevent  them  get- 
ting through  the  gaps  in  fences,  by  hanging  a  stick  or  "yoke" 
across  their  breast. 

Those  who  breed  geese,  generally  assign  one  gander  to  four  or 
five  females.  "When  well  fed,  in  a  mild  climate,  geese  will  lay 
twice  or  three  times  a  year,  from  five  to  twelve  eggs  each  time, 
and  some  more,  that  is,  when  they  are  left  to  their  own  way;  but 
if  the  eggs  be  carefully  removed  as  soon  as  laid,  they  may  be 
made,  by  abundant  feeding,  to  lay  from  twenty  to  fifty  eggs 
without  intermitting.  They  begin  to  lay  early  in  the  spring, 
usually  in  March,  and  it  may  be  known  when  an  individual  is 
about  to  lay,  by  her  carrying  about  straws  to  form  hernest  with; 
but,  sometimes,  she  will  only  throw  them  about. 

"VYhen  a  goose  is  observed  to  keep  her  nest  longer  than  usual, 
after  laying  an  egg,  it  is  a  pretty  sure  indication  that  she  is 
desirous  of  sitting.  The  nest  for  hatching  should  be  made  of 
clean  straw,  lined  with  hay,  and  from  fourteen  to  eighteen  eggs 
will  be  as  many  as  a  large  goose  can  conveniently  cover.  She  sits 
about  one  month,  and  requires  to  have  food  and  water  placed 
near  her,  that  she  may  not  be  so  long  absent  as  to  allow  the  eggs 
to  cool.  The  most  economical  way  of  getting  a  great  number  of 
goslings,  is  to  employ  turkey  hens  to  hatch,  and  keeping  the 
goose  well  fed  she  will  continue  laying. 

Goslings  must  be  kept  from  cold  and  rain  as  much  as  pos- 
sible. Feed  them  on  barley  or  Indian  meal  or  crusts  of  bread 
soaked  in  milk. 


VARIETIES, 

African;  Toulouse;  Embden;  Egyptian;  White  Chinese;  Brown 
Chinese. 


56 


DUCK* 


THE  DUCK. 


MUSCOVY  DUCK. 


It  is  not  in  all  situations  that  Ducks  can  be  kept  with  advan- 
tage; they  require  water  much  more,  even,  than  the  goose;  they 
are  no  grazers,  yet  they  are  hearty  feeders.  Nothing  comes 
amiss  to  them  in  the  way  of  food:  green  vegatables;  kitchen 
scraps;  meal  of  all  sorts  made  into  a  paste;  grains;  bread;  worms; 
insects;  all  are  accepted  with  eagerness.  Their  appetite  is  not  at 
all  fastidious;  in  fact  they  eat  most  everything,  and  eat  all  they 
can.  They  never  need  cramming,  give  them  enough,  and  they 
will  cram  themselves;  but  remember,  confinement  will  not  do 
for  them;  they  must  have  room,  and  plenty  of  it,  also  a  large 


DUCK. 


57 


pond  or  stream,  if  you  have  these  requirements  they  can  be  kept 
at  little  expense. 

"Where  they  have  much  extent  of  water  or  shrubbery  to  roam 
over,  they  should  be  looked  after  and  driven  home  at  night,  and 
provided  with  proper  houses  or  pens;  otherwise  they  are  liable 
to  lay  and  sit  abroad.  As  they  usually  lay  either  at  night,  or 
very  early  in  the  morning,  it  is  a  good  way  to  secure  their  eggs, 
to  confine  them  during  the  period  when  they  must  lay,  a  circum- 
stance easily  ascertained  by  feeling  the  vent. 


COMMON  DUCK. 


The  duck  is  not  naturally  disposed  to  incubate,  but  in  order 
to  induce  her  to  do  so,  you  may,  towards  the  end  of  the  laying, 
leave  two  or  three  eggs  in  the  nest,  taking  care  every  morning 
to  take  away  the  oldest  laid,  that  they  may  not  be  spoiled. 
When  she  shows  a  desire  to  sit,  from  eight  to  ten  eggs  may  be 


58 


DUCK. 


given  according  to  the  size  of  the  duck,  and  her  ability  to  cover 
them.  The  duck  requires  some  care  when  she  sits;  for  as  she 
cannot  go  to  her  food,  attention  must  be  paid  to  place  it  before 
her;  and  she  will  be  content  with  it,  whatever  be  its  quality;  it 
has  been  remarked  that  when  ducks  are  too  well  fed,  they  will  not 
sit  well.     The  period  of  incubation  is  about  thirty  days. 


WILD    DUCK. 


The  duck  is  apt  to  let  her  eggs  get  cold,  when  she  hatches 
and  many  thereby  are  lost,  this  together  with  the  fact  of  her 
often  leading  the  ducklings  into  the  water  immediately  after 
they  are  excluded  from  the  shell  and  thus  losing  many  if  the 
weather  is  cold,  often  induces  poultry  keepers  to  have  duck  eggs 
hatched  by  hens  or  turkey  hens;  and  being  more  assiduous  than 
ducks,  these  borrowed  mothers  take  an  affection  for  the  young, 
to  watch  over,  which  requires  great  attention  because  as  these 
are  unable  to  accompany  them  on  the  water,  for  which  they  show 
the  greatest  propensity  as  soon  as  they  are  excluded,  they  follow 
the  mother  hen  on  dry  land,  and  get  a  little  hardy  before  they 
are  allowed  to  take  to  the  water  without  any  guide. 

The  best  mode  of  rearing  ducklings  depends  very  much  upon 
the  situation  in  which  they  are  hatched.     For  the  first  month, 


DUCK.  59 

the  confinement  of  their  mother,  under  a  coop  is  better  than  too 
much  liberty.  All  kinds  of  sopped  food,  buckwheat  flour,  Indian 
or  barley  meal  and  water  mixed  thin,  worms,  «fcc.,  suit  them. 

When  ducklings  have  been  hatched  under  a  common  hen,  or 
a  turkey  hen  and  have  at  last  been  allowed  to  go  into  the  water, 
it  is  necessary,  to  prevent  accidents,  to  take  care  that  such  duck- 
lings come  regularly  home  every  evening;  but  precautions  must 
be  taken  before  they  are  permitted  to  mingle  with  the  old  ducks 
lest  the  latter  ill-treat  and  kill  them,  though  ducks  are  by  no 
means  so  pugnacious  and  jealous  of  new-comers  as  common  fowls 
uniformly  are. 

VARIETIES. 

Rouen  Ducks. — The  flesh  is  abundant  and  of  good  flavor;  good 
specimens  will  dress  from  five  to  seven  pounds  each. 

Aylesbury  Ducks. —  These  are  considered  the  most  valuable 
of  the  English  breeds  and  is  well  thought  of  in  this  country. 
They  are  good  layers,  but  do  not  weigh  quite  as  much  as  the 
Rouen  breed. 

Cayuga  Ducks — These  are  the  finest  of  the  American  breeds, 
they  are  also  the  largest  and  most  valuable  of  the  duck  family. 
They  weigh  generally  from  eight  to  ten  pounds,  are  good  layers, 
and  easily  raised. 

The  other  varieties  are  the  Mandarin;  Carolina;  Muscovy;  Call 
Duck;  Black  East  India. 

The  duck  is  peculiarly  the  poor  man's  bird  (its  hardihood  ren- 
ders it  so  entirely  independant  of  that  care  which  fowls  perpet- 
ually require) ;  and  indeed  of  all  those  classes  of  persons  in  humble 
life,  who  have  sloppy  offal  of  some  sort  left  from  their  meals, 
and  who  do  not  keep  a  pig  to  consume  it.  Ducks  are  the  best 
save-waste  for  them;  even  the  refuse  of  potatoes,  or  any  other 
vegetables  will  satisfy  a  duck,  which  thankfully  accepts,  and 
with  a  degree  of  good  virtue  which  it  is  pleasant  to  contemplate, 


60  DUCK. 

swallows  whatever  is  presented  to  it,  and  very  rarely  occasions 
trouble.  Though  fowls  must  be  provided  with  a  roof  and  a 
decent  habitation,  and  supplied  with  corn,  which  is  costly,  the 
cottage  garden  waste,  and  the  snails  and  slugs  which  are  gener- 
ated there,  with  the  kitchen  scraps  and  offal,  furnish  the  hardy 
ducks  with  the  means  of  subsistence.  And  at  night  they  require 
no  better  lodgings  than  a  nook  in  an  open  shed;  if  a  house  be 
expressly  made  for  them,  it  need  not  necessarily  be  more  than 
a  few  feet  in  height,  nor  of  better  materials  than  rough  boards 
and  clay  mortar,  a  door  being  useless^  unless  to  secure  them 
from  thieves. 


POINTS  OF  POULTRY. 


61 


POINTS  OF  POULTRY. 

^— Neck  hackle.  7?— Saddle  hackle.  C— Tail.  D— Breast. 
E — Upper  "Wing  coverts.  jP^— Lower  "Wing  coverts.  G — Pri- 
mary quills.  ^—Thighs,  i^— Legs.  JT— Comb.  L — Wattles. 
J!f— Ear-lobe. 


DICTIONARY. 


Dictionary  of  Poultry  Terms, 


Beard. — A  bunch  of  feathers  under  the  throat  of  some  breeds, 
as  Houdans  or  Polish. 

Breed. — Any  variety  of  fowl  presenting  distinct  characteris- 
tics. 

Brood. — The  number  of  birds  hatched  at  once;  a  family  of 
young  chickens. 

Broody. — When  the  hen  desires  to  sit  she  is  said  to  be 
broody. 

Carriage. — The  upright  attitude  or  bearing  of  a  fowl. 

Carunculated. — Having  a  fleshy  excrescence  or  protuber- 
ances, as  on  the  neck  of  a  turkey-cock. 

Chick. — A  very  young  fowl. 

Chicken. — A  name  applied  to  fowls  until  they  are  full  grown. 

Clutch. — The  eggs  placed  under  a  sitting  hen,  also  the  brood 
hatched  therefrom. 

Cockerel. — A  young  cock. 

Cock. — The  full  grown  male  bird. 

Comb. — The  crest  or  red  fleshy  tuft  growing  on  top  of  a 
fowl's  head. 

Crest. — A  top-knot  of  feathers,  as  on  the  head  of  the  Polands. 

Crop. — The  first  stomach  of  a  fowl,  through  which  the  food 
must  pass  before  the  process  of  digestion  begins. 

Deaf-ears. — Folds  of  skin  hanging  from  the  true  ears,  vary- 
ing in  color. 

Dubbing. — To  cut  off  the  comb,  wattles,  &c .,  leaving  the  head 
smooth. 

Ear-Lobes. — Folds  of  skin  hanging  from  the  ears. 


DICTIONARY.  63 

Face. — The  bare  skin  extending  from  the  top  of  the  bill 
around  the  eyes. 

Flight-feathers. — The  primary  wing  feathers,  used  in 
flying. 

Fluffs. — The  downy  feathers  around  the  thighs. 

Gills. — A  term  sometimes  applied  to  the  wattles;  the  flap 
that  hangs  below  the  beak. 

Hackles. — The  peculiar  narrow  feathers  on  a  fowl's  neck. 

Hen-feathered. — A  cock,  which  owing  to  the  absence  of 
sickle  feathers  resembles  a  hen. 

Henny. — The  same  as  hen- feathered. 

Hock. — The  elbow  joint  of  the  leg. 

Keel. — The  breast  bone. 

Leg. — The  shank. 

Leg-feathers. — Feathers  growing  on  the  outside  of  the 
shank. 

Mossy. — Uncertain  marking. 

Pea-comb. — A  tripple  comb. 

Penciling. — Small  stripes  running  over  a  feather. 

Poult. — A  young  turkey. 

Primaries. — The  same  as  flight-feathers. 

Pullet. — A  young  hen. 

Rooster. — A  word  used  in  the  United  States  to  designate  the 
male  fowl;  generally  called  cock. 

Saddle. — The  posterior  of  the  back,  the  feathers  that  cover  it 
are  termed  saddle-feathers. 

Secondaries. — The  quill-feathers  of  the  wing,  which  show 
when  the  fowl  is  at  rest. 

Shank. — The  leg. 

Sicklb-feathers. — The  upward  curving  feathers  of  a  cock's 
tail. 

Spangled  — Spots  on  each  feather  of  a  different  color  from 
that  of  the  ground  color  of  the  feather. 


64  DICTIONARY. 

Spur. — A  sharp  bone  protruding  from  the  heel  of  a  cock. 

Strain. — A  race  of  fowls  that  has  been  bred  for  years  un- 
mixed with  other  breeds. 

Tail-coverts. — The  curved  feathers  at  the  sides  of  the  bottom 
of  the  tail. 

Tail-feathers.— The  straight  feathers  of  the  tail. 

Thighs. — The  upper  part  of  the  shanks. 

Top-knot. — The  same  meaning  as  crest. 

Trio. — One  cock  and  two  hens. 

Vulture-hock. — Stiff  projecting  feathers  at  the  hock-joint. 

Wattles. — The  red  fleshy  excrescence  that  grows  under  the 
throat  of  a  cock  or  a  turkey. 

"Wing-bar. — A  dark  line  across  the  middle  of  the  wing. 

Wing-coverts. — The  feathers  covering  the  roots  of  the  second- 
ary quills. 


POULTRY-KEEPING.  65 


POULTRY-KEEPING. 


Any  person  who  takes  up  poultry-keeping  should  have  some 
end  in  view;  should  either  keep  fowls  for  showing  and  prize- 
taking,  or  for  laying  and  fattening.  Fowls  for  domestic  use  and 
fowls  for  exhibition  are  two  totally  different  things,  and  call  for 
entirely  different  methods  of  treatment. 

In  this  small  book  I  wish  to  adhere  as  much  as  possible  to  the 
business  of  poultry-keeping  on  a  small  scale  within  the  means 
of  all  people  living  in  the  country,  and  having  a  little  ground  of 
their  own. 

If  there  is  a  farm-yard  to  fall  back  on,  and  the  birds  are  not 
kept  by  themselves,  but  are  allowed  to  run  with  the  other  in- 
mates of  that  yard,  having  a  hen-house  in  which  to  roost,  lay, 
and  sit,  then  your  cares  are  reduced  to  a  minimum.  As  all  who 
might  and  should  keep  poultry,  have,  however,  no  farm,  but  only 
a  garden  and  a  plot  of  ground,  I  will  not  say  any  more  about 
the  old  farmyard  system,  but  suppose  that  the  fowls  have  to  be 
kept  on  a  small  scale  without  the  foregoing  advantages.  Much 
depends  on  the  purpose  for  which  fowls  are  kept,  if  for  show 
and  prize-taking,  or  merely  for  domestic  uses,  for  table  and  for 
eggs. 

If  for  show,  then  the  different  breeds  must  be  kept  thoroughly 
pure,  entirely  distinct,  and  great  attention  given  to  points 
generally.  A  higher  class  of  fowl  must  be  purchased  in  the 
first  instance;  the  diet  must  be  more  generous,  si7e  being  a  great 
point  with  judges;  and  the  whole  business  of  poultry-keeping  is 


66  POULTRY-KEEPING. 

placed  on  a  more  costly  footing,  and  becomes  an  expensive  and 
but  rarely  a  remunerative  amusement;  whereas  in  merely  keep- 
ing a  small  stock  of  fowls  for  table  use — the  first  and  original 
outlay  of  purchase  and  house-building  overcome — you  should, 
and  can  easily,  have,  with  a  little  trouble,  a  small  profit  each 
mouth  after  the  necessary  food  is  paid  for. 

I  have  done  both  myself:  kept  fowls  for  general  use — ordinary 
common  birds,  mostly  cross-bred — and  kept  purely-bred  birds  to 
show,  and  I  have  no  hesitation  in  saying  that  the  former  is  the 
best  plan,  unless,  of  course,  you  are  a  poultry  fancier  and  have 
money  enough  to  allow  you  to  indulge  your  mania  for  prize  birds; 
then,  with  highly-bred  stock,  you  may  look  to  the  sale  of  eggs 
and  the  taking  of  prizes  to,  in  a  measure,  recoup  you  for  your 
outlay.  I  was  fairly  successful  with  the  high-class  birds  I 
purchased,  and  got  good  prices  for  the  sitting  of  eggs  I  sold,  as 
also  for  the  birds  themselves  when  I  parted  with  them;  but  I 
cannot  honestly  say  I  consider  the  keeping  up  of  select  and  dis- 
tinct sorts  is  worth  the  trouble  it  entails — that  is,  if  you  do  the 
work  of  looking  after  them  yourself.  Mine,  I  know —  I 
could  not  aflbrd  to  keep  a  poultry-man  —  led  me  a  sad 
dance.  I  was  always  in  trouble  "with  them ;  they  had  separate 
houses  and  runs,  but  unless  I  was  near  while  the  different  sorts 
were  having  their  outing  there  was  sure  to  be  some  disturbance, 
a  fight  between  the  cocks  through  the  bars  and  netting,  and  this 
very  likely  occurred  just  before  I  wanted  to  show  one  of  them, 
when  featherless  heads  and  wounded  bleeding  combs  would  be 
the  result;  and  the  hens  too  were  nearly  as  pugilistic.  Some  one 
will  probably  remark,  *'  Mismanagement."  Possibly;  but  I  had 
not  all  the  proper  arrangements  a  regular  prize  poultry-breeder 
would  have,  and  even  in  the  very  best  regulated  poultry-yards 
accidents  will,  we  know,  occur,  and  so  these  creatures  were  a 
perpetual  torment  to  me. 


POULTRY-KEEPING.  67 

And  when,  after  an  interval  of  some  years,  I  began  poultry- 
keeping  again,  I  started  on  an  entirely  difterent  plan  and  on  a 
very  small  scale.  It  is  from  my  experience  then  gained  that  I 
offer  the  following  hints  to  those  living  in  the  country  who  wish 
to  keep  poultry  and  yet  do  not  mean  to  incur  much  expense  in 
so  doing. 

For  general  use  I  would  say  do  not  keep  entirely  to  pure-bred 
birds,  but  mix  them  with  others;  a  good  cross-breed  is  often 
more  desirable  than  a  really  pure  breed;  not  only  are  the  fowls 
resulting  from  the  cross  stronger  and  less  likely  to  become  sickly 
and  degenerate,  but  you  can,  by  a  judicious  selection  in  the  cross 
you  allow,  counteract  many  of  the  qualities  you  do  not  consider 
quite  desirable. 


BEST  BREEDS  FOR  MARKET. 


I  do  not  believe  there  are  any  better  market  fowl,  all  things 
considered  than  the  Langshans,  next  comes  the  Brahmas.  The 
Dorkings  are  a  superior  table  fowl,  but  are  tender  and  hard  to 


EGG  PRODUCERS. 


The  Black  Spanish;  Polands;  Iloudans  and  Hamburgs  are  all 
inveterate  layers;  but  the  Black  Spanish  and  Hamburgs  are 


68  POULTRY-KEEPING. 

rather  tender,  and  more  fit  for  the  fancier  than  for  the  practical 
man.  For  a  desirable  ''all  round"  breed,  I  should  recommend 
the  Plymouth  Rocks,  At  any  rate  I  have  described  the  different 
breeds,  given  you  their  good  and  bad  points,  and  you  may  take 
your  choice. 


SORTS  FOR  SMALL  YARDS. 


If  you  have  only  a  limited  space  to  allow  for  your  birds,  do  not 
keep  too  many  at  first.  Possibly,  as  you  find  your  poultry 
answer,  you  may  wish  to  considerably  increase  your  stock,  and 
so  will  have  to  enlarge  your  premises,  which  by  that  time  you 
may  be  able  to  do;  besides,  you  will  have  gained  experience 
during  the  time  you  have  been  looking  after  a  limited  number, 
and  will  have  learned  many  things  respecting  the  nature  of  fowls, 
their  habits,  diseases,  constitutions,  and  general  characteristics, 
of  which  before  you  were  entirely  ignorant. 

My  own  opinion  is,  I  own,  entirely  against  a  very  large  poultry- 
farm.  I  should  always  prefer  having  a  small  one  under  my  own 
immediate  eye  to  possessing  a  quantity  of  birds  and  being  obliged 
to  keep  a  man  or  woman  to  look  after  them. 

If  people  want  to  lose  money  hy  poultry  let  them  mass  them  in 
numbers,  and  they  will  soon  gain  the  desired  result.  If,  on  the 
contrary,  they  will  be  content  with  modest  profits,  and  patiently 
turn  over  pennies  instead  of  expecting  to  turn  over  dollars,  then 
let  them  keep  poultry  on  a  small  scale,  attend  to  them  themselevs, 


POULTRY-KEEPING.  69 

spare  no  pains  orirouble  in  looking  after  and  thoroughly  under- 
standing the  requirements  of  their  stock,  and  they  need  not 
fear  but  that  the  result  will  be  satisfactory. 

To  buy  pens,  nests,  rent  land,  pay  a  man  to  look  after  the 
stock,  waste  money  in  sundries  and  expensive  food,  buy  useless 
items,  and  hand  over  all  trouble  to  subordinates,  is  not  the  way 
to  make  poultry  pay. 

While,  on  the  other  hand,  to  look  after  a  little  poultry-yard 
yourself,  to  vary  the  food  by  economising  all  kitchen  refuse, 
buying  up  cargo  rice  and  second-class  grain — which  is  really 
quite  good  enough  for  fowls,  and  better  suited  to  them  than  very 
good  barley,  oats,  or  wheat — never  to  allow  food  to  be  wasted, 
nor  to  keep  an  old  and  useless  stv.ck,  is  the  way  to  insure  certain 
small  profits,  if  those  will  content  you. 

In  trying  to  grasp  too  much  you  stand  a  chance  of  losing  even 
more  than  the  original  outlay.  A  great  many  people,  who  have 
now  little  plots  of  ground  suitable  for  fowls,  but  standing  empty, 
are  deterred  from  keeping  poultry  by  the  idea  that  it  is  so  expen- 
sive a  proceeding,  and  that  they  will  eventually  be  out  of  pocket 
by  it.  So  they  will,  certainly,  if  they  commence  on  too  large  a 
scale;  but  if  they  began  with  a  dozen  or  two  dozen  fowls,  and 
and  kept  the  original  stock  down  to  that  number,  only  allowing 
the  chickens  for  killing  during  the  season,  and  pullets  for  laying 
to  swell  the  numbers  each  year,  then  we  should  hear  less  about 
poultry  expenses,  and  more  about  eggs  and  chickens. 

Now  with  regard  to  commencing  operations.  Brahmas,  Leg- 
horns, Plymouth  Rocks  and  Langshans  are  the  fowls  I  should 
keep.  Brahmas  as  winter  layers,  good  sitters,  and  good  mothers; 
Plymouth  Rocks  as  good  all  round,  and  Langshans  are  especially 
for  table. 

The  number  of  hens  I  would  allow  to  each  cock  would  be; 
Leghorns,  twelve  hens  to  each  cock;  Brahmas,  eight  hens  to  one 
cock ;  Plymouth  Rocks,  six  hens  to  one  cock;  Langshans,  six 
hens  to  one  cock. 


70  FIRST  OUTLAY. 


THE  FIRST  OUTLAY. 


If  you  have  an  adaptable  outhouse,  which  can,  with  a  little 
contrivance  and  a  little  money  spent  on  it,  be  turned  into  a  fowl- 
house,  you  are  indeed  lucky,  for  you  will  then  for  a  few  dollars, 
say  fifteen  at  the  outside,  be  able  to  fit  it  with  perches  and  nests, 
and  see  to  the  flooring,  roofing  and  ventilation. 

Your  nests,  of  strong  wickerwork  or  straw,  will  not  cost  you 
more  than  25  cents  each.  You  should  have  twelve  at  first. 
You  can  easily  have  more  if  you  want  them  for  sitting  purposes, 
but  you  certainly  will  not  require  a  nest  for  each  hen.  An  old 
saucepan  for  cooking  the  food  your  kitchen  will  probably  sup- 
ply. Your  water-pans  should  be  of  common  strong  yellow 
stoneware. 

If  you  have  no  run,  you  must  inclose  one  with  wire,  and  this 
will  be  rather  expensive;  but  your  fowls,  if  they  are  to  be  kept 
in  a  certain  degree  of  confinement,  must  have  exercise,  so  a  run 
or  yard  is  an  absolute  necessity. 

You  should  have  a  door  in  the  run,  at  one  of  the  ends  adjoin- 
ing the  house,  and  a  door  besides  in  the  house  itself,  with  an 
opening  in  it,  closed  by  a  slide,  for  the  fowls  to  go  in  and  out  as 
they  like. 

In  the  run  must  be  the  sheltered  place  for  the  dust-bath  and 
for  the  bii'ds  to  run  under  in  case  of  rain.     (5^6  "Houses  and 


FIRST  OUTLAY.  71 

Yards.")  This  inclosure  I  should  not  have  covered  at  the  top. 
The  height  of  three  rows  of  wire,  one  on  top  of  the  other — i. 
e.,  73  inches — will  be  quite  high  enough  to  prevent  heavy  birds 
getting  out  over;  and  the  Hamburghs,  who  are  by  nature  great 
roamers,  must  have  their  wings  clipped;  it  will  not  improve  their 
appearance,  but,  as  they  are  not  kept  for  showing,  that  will  not 
much  matter.  The  wdre  netting  you  will  be  able  to  fix  yourself 
with  a  little  help,  unless  you  are  lone  women  in  the^  house,  in 
which  case  you  will  have  to  get  some  man  who  is  clever  at  doing 
odds  and  ends  of  work  to  help  you. 

It  is  a  fatal  error  to  cramp  fowls.  Better  far  to  have  a  small 
healthy  family  of  poultry  than  a  large  sickly  one.  If  a  few  birds 
are  well  looked  after  and  made  comfortable  they  will  be  more 
likely  to  pay  than  a  number  badly  kept  and  allowed  too  little 
room. 

If  from  want  of  space  or  want  of  money  you  can  only  keep  a 
few  fowls,  do  not  be  discouraged.  A  cock  and  a  couple  or  three 
or  four  hens  will  not  eat  much,  but  on  the  principle  of  ' '  every 
little  helps"  the  eggs  and  two  or  three  broods  of  chickens  from 
them  in  the  year  will  be  something;  they  will  give  you  amusement 
in  looking  after  them,  and  if  you  do  not  sell  but  merely  eat  the 
eggs  and  the  chickens,  they  will  help  out  the  household  bills  and 
pay  for  the  extra  food  you  will  require;  for  with  only  three  or 
four  birds,  household  scraps,  if  carefully  economised,  and  a  little 
grain  daily,  will  be  quite  enough  to  keep  them  healthy. 

There  are  a  great  number  of  poultry-books,  and  very  excellent 
ones  too;  but  most  of  them  are  written  with  the  object  of  instruc- 
ting would-be  poultry-keepers  in  the  method  of  keeping  a  large 
number  of  fowls,  but  few  hints  being  given  to  people  who  can 
only  afford  to  keei)  a  few,  and  those  not  for  exhibition  and  show, 
but  really  for  use.  It  is,  however  just  these  small  poultry-keep- 
ers we  want  to  see  multiplied  in  America,  for  until  poultry- 
keeping  becomes  a  national  industry — which   it  cannot  unless 


73  FIRST  OUTLAY. 

taken  up  by  the  million — so  long  will  the  money  which  should 
be  kept  in  the  country  be  sent  out  of  it  for  eggs  and  chickens, 
more  particularly  for  the  former  articles. 

Poultry-farming  on  a  large  scale  has  been  ti'ied  often  in  America, 
of  late  years  more  especially,  but  hitherto  it  has  not  proved  very 
successful;  it  does  not  do  so,  though,  in  other  countries.  When 
fowls  are  massed  they  become  unhealthy;  this  has  been  proved 
very  frequently.  It  is  not  poultry-farming  on  an  extensive  plan, 
however,  that  I  advocate,  but  general  fowl-keejping.  I  would 
wish  to  see  every  laborer  with  his  few  fowls,  making  a  little 
extra  money  by  the  eggs  and  chickens  they  produce.  To  do  this, 
however,  profitably  there  must  be  thrift,  and  in  this  valuable 
quality  I  fear  the  Americans  as  a  nation  are  found  wanting.  Our 
cooking  is  by  no  means  good  or  economical;  this  is  a  well-known 
fact.  Where  a  French  peasant's  wife  will  set  her  husband  down 
to  appetising  food,  be  it  only  a  tasty  jpotage,  an  American  mecha- 
nic's wife  will  put  before  hers  ill-cooked  food  costing  far  more,  but 
less  nourishing  from  the  fact  of  its  being  so  badly  dressed.  Here 
is  a  decided  want  of  thrift.  So  in  poultry-keeping,  peasants  in 
France  keep  a  cock  and  a  few  hens  as  a  matter  of  course,  but 
feed  them  very  economically  on  household  and  garden  scraps, 
various  odds  and  ends,  and  so  make  them  not  only  pay  their 
way,  but  help  in  the  housekeeping  besides.  Unfortunately  we 
as  a  nation  do  not  care  to  trouble  over  small  matters,  or  attend 
to  the  merest  details,  as  the  French  do  ;  yet  it  is  just  this  atten- 
tion to  trifles  which  makes  poultry-keeping  on  a  small  scale  pay. 

It  is  far  better  to  attend  to  everything  yourself — in  fact,  unless 
you  have  plenty  of  money  and  can  have  an  experienced  man  or 
woman  to  look  after  your  stock,  you  must  do  so.  Leave  nothing 
undone  for  the  comfort  of  your  birds,  and  go  through  your  daily 
work  in  your  poultry-yard  regularly  and  methodically. 


HOUSES  AND  YARDS.  73 


HOUSES  AND  YARDS. 


If  you  have  to  build  a  fowl-house  it  need  not  be  in  any  way 
an  expensive  erection.  Let  it  be,  if  possible,  built  on  to  an 
outside  wall  of  the  house,  say  with  its  back  to  the  kitchen  or 
greenhouse,  in  such  a  position  as  to  insure  some  degree  of 
warmth  to  the  inmates.  Let  the  floor  be  dry,  the  roof  weather- 
tight,  and  the  ventilation  good,  and  your  fowls  will  be  sure  to 
do  well  iu  it.  The  cheapest  material  to  make  it  of  would  be 
rough  boards.  The  roof  can  also  be  boarded,  only  in  that  case  it 
should  be  covered  with  felt.  The  holes  for  ventilation  should  be 
so  placed  that  the  birds  feel  no  cold  air  on  them  while  roosting. 
Such  a  house  should  measure  at  least  eight  feet  square,  and  the 
roof  should  slope  from  about  seven  to  five  feet.  The  door  should 
lock,  and  a  trap-door  should  be  made  in  it  for  the  hens  to  go  in 
and  out  at  will:  this  trap-door  should  be  a  sliding  one,  and  easily 
closed  when  required,  at  night  being  always  kept  shut  for  fear 
of  foxes,  cats,  &c. 

Perches  should  be  round  poles,  not  less  than  four  or  five  inches 
in  diameter,  and  should  not  be  set  too  high  up — an  error  into 
which  many  people  fall.  Three  feet  from  the  ground  is  quite 
high  enough  for  the  most  elevated  perch,  and  there  should  be 
others  lower,  two  and  a  half  feet  and  two  feet  from  the  ground 

If  perches  are  too  high,  heavy  fowls  cannot  fly  up  to  them  with 
ease,  and  in  descending  are  certain  in  time  to  injure  themselves, 
bending  or  breaking  the  breastbone  and  injuring  their  feet. 

The  floor  should  not  be  of  brick,  stone,  or  wood,  but  of  beaten 


74  HOUSES  AND  YARDS. 

earth  well  battened  down  until  it  presents  a  perfectly  sraooth, 
hard  surface,  which  should  be  swept  out  carefully  daily  and 
sanded  or  sprinkled  with  fine  sifted  ashes.  If,  however,  you 
have  to  build  a  house  for  your  birds,  there  being  no  outhouse 
you  can  turn  into  a  fowl-house,  then  you  might  prepare  a  floor 
of  either  chalk  battened  down  until  quite  hard,  the  ground  being 
dug  out  to  the  depth  of  a  foot  and  filled  in  with  the  chalk,  over 
which  should  be  spread  sifted  ashes  or  sand ;  or  else  fill  in  the 
space  dug  out  with  burnt  clay,  also  thoroughly  rammed  down 
and  spread  over  with  a  wet  mass  of  cinders,  fine  gravel,  quick- 
lime, and  water;  this  when  dry  forms  a  very  good  floor. 

The  nests  should  be  arranged  so  that  they  are  screened  from 
view  and  darkened,  not  placed  high  up  for  the  same  reason  as 
before  given  with  regard  to  the  perches,  and  they  should  have  a 
ledge  in  front  of  them  for  the  hen  to  step  on  before  going  into 
her  nest  or  on  leaving  it,  else  in  flying  down  eggs  are  frequently 
dragged  out  and  broken  in  the  fall;  and  if  chickens  are  hatched 
high  up  they  are  liable  to  creep  out  of  the  nest,  fall  down,  and 
die.  Soft  straw  is  the  best  lining  for  nests,  as  it  does  not  harbor 
insects  so  much  as  hay.  It  should  he,  frequently  changed  unless 
hens  are  sitting,  and  then  it  is  best  not  to  disturb  the  hen,  or  she 
may  forsake  her  nest.  Nest-eggs  of  stone  or  china  are  easily 
procured,  and  should  be  kept.  Many  hens  will  not  lay  in  a  nest 
unless  there  is  an  egg  already  in  it,  and  will  forsake  a  nest  they 
have  been  laying  in  if  all  the  eggs  are  removed.  Some  people 
leave  in  the  nest  an  ordinary  egg,  but  this  plan  is  most  objection- 
able; it  imparts  to  the  nest  a  musty  smell,  and  gives  also  a  taste 
of  must  to  those  fresh  eggs  which  are  laid  in  it,  and  which, 
though  really  fresh  in  themselves,  have  thus  a  disagreeable  odor 
and  taste,  quite  leading  one  to  suppose  that  they  were  stale. 
This  is  the  reason  why  so  many  eggs  brought  to  table  have  this 
defect;  people  will  not  take  the  trouble  to  change  the  straw  in 
the  nest  often  enough.     Besides  all  this  there  is  the   danger  of 


HOUSES  AND  YARDS.  75 

the  stale  nest  egg  breaking,  which  if  it  does,  the  nest,  and  even 
the  whole  hen-house,  will  become  offensive.  A  stone  nest-egg 
can  always  be  kept  in  a  nest,  and  if  a  hen  wants  to  sit,  a  few 
placed  under  her  form  a  good  trial  of  her  steady  sitting  powers, 
and  settle  her  on  her  nest  before  the  real  eggs,  she  has  to  hatch 
out  are  placed  under  her. 

If  you  keep  more  than  one  sort  of  fowl  you  must  have  divisions 
in  your  houses.  If  it  is  built  either  against  the  kitchen  wall,  or 
back  to  some  room  in  which  there  is  in  winter  constantly  a  fire, 
the  effect  of  the  warmth  will  be  apparent  in  the  greater  number 
of  eggs  your  hens  will  lay  during  the  cold  weather.  Or  the  hen- 
house could  be  built  on  to  a  greenhouse  wall  which  is  kept 
heated  in  the  winter.  The  nests  should  be  resting  against  the 
warm  back  wall,  and  the  birds  roosting  on  the  perches  will  also 
feel  the  benefit  of  the  heat.  It  is  astonishing  how  much  fowls 
enjoy  warmth.  This  is  the  reason  why  cottager's  fowls  lay 
often  very  much  earlier  than  those  kept  by  amateurs,  because 
they  are  generally  kept  in  a  lean-to  outhouse  bviilt  against  the 
cottage  wall  close  to  the  fireplace.  The  fowls  by  this  means  get 
the  warmth  of  the  fire,  and  in  some  cases  they  actually  roost  in 
the  kitchen.  All  poultry-keepers  could  have  their  fowl-houses 
run  up  outside  some  fireplace  or  flue,  which  would  keep  the  birds 
warm  without  the  expense  of  an  extra  fire. 

Yard  or  Bun. — If  fowls  are  not  allowed  free  range,  which  is 
not  always  possible  on  account  of  gardens  or  neighbors,  a  space 
should  be  inclosed  for  them,  either  fenced  off  with  wooden 
pailings  or  wire  netting.  In  this  run  should  be  a  plot  of  grass, 
and  if  possible  a  shrub  or  two  for  the  birds  to  pick  insects  off. 
If  the  space  allows  of  it  there  should  be  a  small  covered  shed  in 
one  corner  for  the  fowls  to  run  under  during  the  rain,  as  fowls 
cannot  endure  damp,  and  under  this  shed  should  be  the  dust-bath. 
It  is  a  downright  necessity  for  all  birds  to  roll  or  bathe  in  the  dust. 


76  FOOD. 

They  are  very  particular  about  their  toilets.  This  may  sound  to 
some  absurd,  but  it  is  most  important.  No  fowls  will  keep  in 
health  unless  they  are  clean,  and  by  rolling  in  fine  dust  and  ashes, 
and  covering  themselves  with  them,  they  clean  themselves  and 
get  rid  of  the  fleas  and  parasites  with  which  they  are  always  more 
or  less  infested.  Fowls  that  are  allowed  their  entire  freedom 
always  make  dust-heaps  for  themselves,  and  retire  to  them 
daily. 

If  it  is  possible  to  have  a  little  running  stream  conducted 
through  this  yard  then  you  may  indeed  consider  yourself  fortu- 
nate, but  most  likely  you  will  have  to  content  yourself  with  pots 
and  pans  for  water.  Let  these  be  shallow,  and  change  the  water 
frequently.  The  question  of  coops  for  chickens  I  have  considered 
in  the  chapter  on  Hatching,  but  I  may  mention  here  that  the 
shed  in  the  yard  would  be  a  very  good  place  for  mother  hen  and 
her  family  when  the  weather  was  damp.  A  shed  need  not  be  an 
expensive  building.  A  few  rough  poles,  with  a  felt  roof,  could 
be  easily  made  by  any  one,  and  it  is  a  very  great  boon  to  fowls. 
It  need  not  be  of  any  great  size  or  height,  only  the  roof  should 
have  a  considerable  slope  for  the  rain  to  run  off. 


FOOD. 


Overfeeding  is  as  great  a  mistake  as  underfeeding.  Three 
times  a  day  is  quite  enough  to  feed  old  fowls:  a  good  meal  in 
the  early  morning,  another  before  going  to  roost,  and  a  midday 
feed.     Many  people,  however,  only  feed  twice;  this,  if  the  fowls 


FOOD.  77 

have  a  farmyard  to  dig  and  forage  about  in,  is  enough,  but  in 
limited  space  I  should  certainly  feed  three  times,  giving  grain 
for  the  last  meal  as  more  sustaining  and  stimulating.  Chickens, 
of  course,  require  food  much  more  frequently. 

Before  I  describe  the  various  sorts  of  food  suitable  for  poultry, 
a  few  general  directions  will  be  advisable. 

Feed  regularly — that  is,  at  stated  hours — and  do  not  get  into 
the  habit  of  giving  handfuls  of  grain  in  and  out  in  the  course  of 
the  day;  if  you  do  so  you  will  spoil  the  birds'  digestion. 

A  supply  of  pure  fresh  water  is  another  absolute  necessity. 
Every  day  in  winter  the  pans  should  be  washed  out  and  filled 
with  fresh  water,  twice  a  day  in  summer  if  the  weather  is  very 
hot. 

All  poultry  like  a  change  of  diet,  and  should  on  no  account  be 
fed  day  after  day  with  the  same  food;  as  fowls  are  not  fastidious, 
but  will  eat  nearly  any  food,  there  is  no  possible  reason  why  a 
variety  of  food  should  not  be  given  them,  and  it  is  certain  they 
will  thrive  and  do  better  when  their  tastes  are  consulted  a 
little. 

Rice  is  a  cheap  food,  but  is  not  very  nutritious,  therefore 
should  be  given  mixed  with  other  foods;  it  may,  however,  be 
considered  as  an  excellent  food  for  fowls  which  are  not  kept  up 
for  show  purposes,  and  if  poultry  are  suffering  at  all  from  diarr- 
hoea should  be  at  once  given  instead  of  their  ordinary  food.  Rice, 
whenever  given,  should  be  cooked  as  the  raw  grain  is  most  inju- 
rious, and  by  swelling  in  the  crop  after  it  has  been  swallowed 
often  makes  the  fowl  "crop-bound."  It  should  be  prepared 
thus: — Boiled  until  the  grains  are  completely  separated,  not  in 
hard  lumps,  but  easy  for  the  birds  to  pick  up  when  scattered 
about  in  the  yard;  a  piece  of  dripping  dissolved  in  the  water  in 
which  the  rice  is  boiled  has  a  wonderfully  softening  effect  on  it. 
In  winter  I  always  mix  a  little  coarse  black  pepper  with  the 
cooked  rice.     Fowls    in  cold    weather  need    stimulants;    and 


78  FOOD. 

pepper,  when  given  in  sparing  quantities,  is  very  good  for  them. 
Rice  can  often  be  purchased  very  cheaply;  many  grocers  sell 
what  they  term  "fowl-rice,"  but  if  you  are  tolerably  near  a  sea- 
port you  can  very  often  get  the  chance  of  buying  damaged 
"cargo"  rice,  which,  though  possibly  just  a  little  injuredby  sea- 
water,  is  still  excellent  food  for  poultry.  I  have  ranked  rice 
first  because  of  its  cheapness.  Of  the  different  sorts  of  corn 
tarlcy  is  the  least  expensive,  but  it  is  too  heating  to  feed  fowls 
on  it  alone;  it  should  be  ground  into  meal,  mixed  with  water 
and  fine  bran  or  scraps,  and  given  in  a  crumbly  state,  not  too 
moist  nor  yet  too  lumpy. 

Cooked  or  prepared  food  is  good  for  all  live  stock  of  all  de- 
scriptions, for  experience  proves  it  to  be  more  nutritious  from 
the  changes  effected,  and  therefore  more  readily  digested.  One 
writer  advises  the  following  mixture : — 

One  peck  of  fine  middlings  and  half  a  peck  of  barley-meal 
placed  in  a  coarse  earthenware  pan  and  baked  for  one  hour,  then 
boiled  water  is  poured  in  and  the  whole  stirred  together  until  it 
becomes  a  crumbly  mass — or  the  baked  middlings  can  be  mixed 
with  rice,  previously  boiled — two  meals  of  this  mixture  might  be 
given  each  day,  and  one  meal  of  grain. 

Oai8  are  good  for  laying  hens,  but  to  my  mind  are  best  ground; 
it  is  not  at  first  a  favorite  food  with  poultry,  but  they  soon  ac- 
quire the  taste,  and  it  is  even  more  nourishing  than  barley,  but 
also  more  expensive.  Oatmeal  is  considered  wonderfully  good 
and  fattening  diet,  and  in  Ireland  is  generally  used  for  poultry — 
that  is,  when  they  are  kept  up  for  market,  the  meal  is  mixed 
■with  milk  and  mashed  potatoes.  In  oats  there  is  as  great  an 
amount  of  starch  as  in  barley,  more  flesh-forming  substance,  and 
more  fat-producing  matter. 

LigM  WJieat  is  the  grain  I  prefer  for  poultry-food;  but,  alas!  it 
is  not  easy  to  procure,  though  it  is  cheap  as  far  as  price  goes. 
If  you  have  a  farmer  hving  near  you  he  may  perhaps  let  you  have 


FOOD.  79 

some  as  a  favor;  but,  as  a  rule,  farmers  keep  it  for  feeding  their 
own  poultry,  and  do  not  care  to  sell  it  at  all. 

Buckwheat  and  Hempseed  are  very  good,  the  latter  to  be  given 
during  moulting,  but  they  are  too  expensive  to  be  given  fre- 
quently. 

Indian  Corn  is  good  and  economical  food,  but  too  fattening  to 
be  used  much;  as  a  change,  though,  it  is  desirable;  its  usual 
cheapness,  compared  with  the  price  of  our  home-grown  grains, 
commends  it  in  some  places;  it  should  not  however,  be  given 
whole,  but  ground  into  meal  and  mixed  with  water  or  milk. 

Linseed  is  chiefly  given  to  prize  fowls  and  those  intended  for 
exhibition;  it  increases  the  secretion  of  oil,  and  makes  their 
plumage  shine  and  look  glossy. 

Potatoes  steamed  and  mashed  are  very  nourishing,  but  rather 
expensive. 

Bulloch'' s  Liver  boiled  and  cut  up  into  small  pieces  may  be 
given  with  much  advantage  once  or  twice  a  week  to  birds  kept 
in  small  inclosures. 

Malt  is  one  of  the  best  things  for  poultry,  but  not  very  easy  to 
procure;  if,  however,  you  are  near  a  brewery  you  will  not  have 
so  much  difficulty  in  obtaining  it.  It  induces  early  and  contin- 
ued laying;  should  be  given  sparingly,  either  bruised  or  whole, 
about  two  handfuls  for  every  six  fowls;  it  can  be  mixed  with  the 
ordinary  food.  For  chickens  also  it  is  desirable,  about  one 
handful  to  every  six;  if  they  are  fledging  it  assists  them  in 
putting  on  feathers,  and  at  all  times  helps  their  growth. 

MUk  should  be  constantly  given — that  is,  where  a  cow  or  cows 
are  kept,  otherwise  perhaps  it  would  be  rather  an  expensive 
addition  to  the  cost  of  poultry-keeping;  but  if  the  food  is  wetted 
with  fresh  milk,  or  a  little  warm  milk  stirred  into  the  rice  or 
various  meals  in  use,  it  is  astonishing  how  very  much  firther 
the  food  goes,  for  it  gives  a  satisfying  property  to  it,  and  io  most 


80  FOOD. 

nourishing,  especially  for  the  younger  members   of  your  fowl 
family. 

Green  foods  are  all  good,  and  should  be  given  daily:  chopped 
cabbage,  clover-heads,  turnip-tops,  lettuce,  turnips,  boiled  or 
steamed,  form  also  a  good  change  of  diet,  and  grass  fresh  cut 
from  lawns,  or  a  handful  plucked  and  thrown  into  the  yard  now 
and  then,  will  be  much  appreciated.  Fowls,  as  I  said  before, 
are  by  no  means  fastidious  in  their  tastes;  grain,  soft,  animal, 
and  green  foods  all  come  alike  to  them;  worms,  maggots,  and 
slugs  are  also  delicacies,  but  not  very  often  procurable,  though 
French  poultry-keepers  and  others  take  the  trouble  to  form 
heaps  of  earth,  manure,  dead  leaves,  and  so  on,  on  purpose  to 
generate  supplies  of  worms  with  which  to  feed  their  fowls. 

To  those  who  would  keep  fowls  economically,  and  yet  profi- 
tably, I  say  save  all  table  and  house  scraps.  If  you  do  not  keep 
a  pig  you  will  have  plenty  for  the  fowls :  crusts  of  bread,  stale 
pieces,  scraps  of  meat,  fish,  vegetables,  bones  broken  up,  soup 
bones,  after  they  have  been  used  and  their  goodness  extracted  by 
boiling  down  for  stock,  yet  contain  no  small  share  of  nourish- 
ment; broken  and  pounded  till  small,  they  are  almost  necessities 
for  fowls  kept  in  partial  confinement. 

If  you  feed  fowls  on  grains  and  expensive  meals  you  cannot 
expect  a  profit  from  them;  but  if,  on  the  contrary,  you  utilize 
house-scraps — which  would  otherwise  be  wasted — and  give  green 
food,  you  will  be  a  considerable  gainer;  if  you  have  to  buy  all 
the  food,  of  course  you  will  find  poultry-keeping  rather  an  ex- 
pensive amusement  instead  of  a  paying  one. 

My  poultry  family  I  feed  in  this  fashion — that  is,  the  stock 
birds — the  chickens,  of  course,  have  more  delicate  food,  and  that 
more  frequently  given: — 

Fir  it  meal,  given  about  7  a.  m. — fowls  are  early  risers— is  of 
grain,  inferior  barley,  or  wheat-tailings,  or  meal  in  a  crumbly 
state. 


FOOD.  81 

Second  meal,  midday,  of  soft  food,  pickings,  such  as  bread, 
sops,  meat  and  fish  scraps,  with  either  barley,  oats,  or  Indian 
meal  mixed  with  it,  or  else  boiled  rice,  peppered  in  winter. 

Third  meal,  before  going  to  roost,  grain.  I  vary  the  food  as 
much  as  possible,  sometimes  giving  two  meals  of  grain  and  one 
of  soft  food,  at  other  times  two  meals  of  soft  mixture  and  one 
of  grain,  and  at  least  once  a  week  give  chopped  liver,  well  boiled 
but  fresh — not  in  the  horrible  putrid  state  some  people  suggest. 
I  could  not  fancy  eating  a  fowl  fed  on  carrion  myself,  though  I 
know  it  is  frequently  done;  but  the  flesh  on  fowls  so  fed  must, 
one  would  naturally  think,  be  gross  and  rank-tasting. 

Water  should  be  plentifully  supplied  fresh  and  pure  and  the 
pans  refilled  frequently  in  summer;  in  winter  all  water-pans 
should  be  emptied  out  at  night,  as,  if  the  water  freezes  in  them 
they  often  crack  or  break. 

Lime  and  mortar  rubbish  or  broken  oyster  shells  should  be  freely 
scattered  about  the  yards,  also  gravel  and  small  stones.  Fowls 
Kke  to  pick  such  things  up;  besides,  it  is  necessary  that  they  eat 
some  shell-forming  material  or  their  eggs  will  be  soft,  which  is 
very  often  the  case  if  such  substances  are  not  provided.  I  do 
not  believe  in  cooking  or  grinding  all  the  grain  foods,  and  should 
certainly  give  wheat-tailings  or  inferior  small  barley  in  its 
natural  state.  If  the  birds  could  not  digest  it  they  would  not 
have  been  provided  by  Kature  with  an  elaborate  apparatus  for 
softening  and  grinding  it.  If  we  feed  entirely  on  moist  food 
even  fowls  in  confinement,  we  must  weaken  the  action  of  the 
gizzard  by  not  giving  it  enough  work  to  do.  The  two  extremes 
of  feeding  entirely  on  cooked  and  moistened  food,  or  entirely  on 
grain  or  hard  food,  are  both  mistakes;  vary  the  food,  and  allow 
only  one  meal  of  solid  grain,  which  should  be  given  either  as 
the  first  or  last  meal,  but  do  not  so  completely  interfere  with 
Nature's  laws,  as  to  weaken  an  organ  which  is  purposely  pro- 
vided to    render    the  natural  food  wholesome.     By  allowing 


plenty  of  lime  and  mortar  rubbish  in  your  yards,  small  stones, 
and  so  on,  your  fowls,  even  in  confinement,  will  be  able  to 
digest  a  small  portion  of  grain  each  day.  I  am  well  aware  that 
many  poultry-fanciers  say  cook  all  food,  but  I  am  certain  that  too 
much  moistened  food  is  not  altogether  good.  I  can  only  speak 
from  my  own  experience,  and  I  never  found  the  creatures  under 
my  care  suffer  from  eating  small  whole  uncooked  grain  once  a 
day. 

The  gizzard  is  a  most  powerful  grinding-mill,  being  composed 
of  very  thick  muscles,  and  lined  with  a  tough  insensible  coria- 
ceous membrane.  The  two  largest  muscles  which  form  the 
grinding  apparatus  are  placed  opposite  each  other,  face  to  face, 
just  like  two  millstones,  and  they  working  on  each  other  grind 
to  a  pulp  the  food  which  is  subjected  to  their  action  and  break 
it  down  until  it  is  in  a  fit  state  to  be  acted  upon  by  the  gastric 
juice,  which  softens  the  grain.  Until,  however,  it  has  gone 
through  Nature's  grinding-mill  the  gastric  juices  have  no  power 
upon  it  to  render  it  solvent.  By  giving  food  constantly  which 
dDes  not  require  the  action  of  this  apparatus  upon  it  to  render  it 
wholesome  we  run  the  risk  of  injuring  it  by  inaction  :  this  surely 
stands  to  reason .  In  the  case  of  chickens  even  a  little  very 
small  grain  should  be  given,  that  while  the  gizzard  is  growing 
it  may  have  something  to  act  upon,  and  no  grain  is  so  good  for 
this  purpose  as  the  tailings  of  wheat  before-mentioned. 

It  is  a  bad  practice  to  underfeed  poultry,  or,  in  fact,  any 
young  stock ;  but,  on  the  contrary,  do  not  waste  food ;  scatter  it 
for  them,  and  when  they  cease  to  run  after  it  stop  feeding  them, 
is  a  fairly  good  rule  to  go  by.  It  is  said  that  one  full-grown 
bird  will  eat  half-a-pint  of  grain  each  day,  because,  though  it 
may  not  positively  consume  that  amount  of  grain — what  with 
meal-scraps,  green  stuff,  &c. — it  consumes  food  to  about  that 
value. 


INCUBATION.  83 


INCUBATION. 


Of  artificial  incubation  I  may  as  well  say  at  once  I  have  had 
no  experience;  therefore  it  is  a  subject  of  which  I  do  not  presume 
to  write;  but  I  cannot  think  that  it  is  at  all  adapted  to  very  small 
poultry-yards,  for  it  must  entail  primary  outlay,  endless  trouble 
and  considerable  expense.  On  large  farms  it  may  answer,  or 
with  persons  who  are  bitten  with  the  poultry  mania,  love  trying 
everything  new  that  they  hear  of,  and  have  more  money  than 
they  know  what  to  do  with  unless  they  indulge  in  some  hobby 
or  hobbies  to  help  them  in  making  away  with  it.  The  invention 
of  the  artificial  incubator  cannot  be  considered,  however,  as  a 
new  invention,  for  as  early  as  1848  Mr.  Cantelo,  manager  of  the 
Model  Poultry  Farm  at  Chiswick,  brought  out  the  "Cantelonian 
Hydro-Incubator,"  and  shortly  afterwards  Mr.  Rouillier  inven- 
ted another — an  improvement  on  the  one  named.  Since  then 
their  name  has  been  Legion. 

The  old  natural  method  of  allowing  the  hen  to  sit  on  her  eggs 
and  hatch  out  her  small  family  is  the  only  plan  of  which  I  have 
had  practical  experience,  and  as  being  an  entirely  natural  process 
I  cannot  but  think  it  the  best,  especially  for  poultry-teepers  on 
a  small  scale. 

There  are  very  many  little  matters  connected  with  eggs,  and 
hatching  them  out,  which  can  only  be  learnt  by  much  practice 
and  long  experience  of  domestic  fowls,  their  manners  and  habits. 


84  INCUBATION. 

This  can  only  be  gained  by  being  constantly  ■v\itli  them  and 
carefully  watching  them  through  all  the  various  stages  of  their 
lives. 

It  is  never  very  difficult  to  procure  a  broody  hen .  Your  Brahma 
hens  will  most  likely  be  quite  willing  to  sit,  probably  more  often 
than  you  wish  them  to.  Be  careful,  however,  not  to  put 
under  her  at  once  the  eggs  which  you  have  selected  for  your 
sitting.  She  should  be  moved  in  at  night,  placed  on  a 
sitting  of  china  eggs,  and  allowed  to  sit  on  them  for  at  least 
two  days  before  you  entrust  her  with  real  eggs. 

Now  about  the  eggs  themselves.  Probably  you  have,  out  of 
your  family  of  hens,  some  that  are  better  than  the  others,  either 
in  shape  and  form,  or  more.handsomely  marked,  or  better  layers, 
or  there  is  something  or  other  about  them,  some  distinguishing 
point,  which  leads  you  to  wish  to  perpetuate  their  stock.  Their 
eggs  should,  therefore,  be  saved;  but  do  not  keep  eggs  certainly 
beyond  a  fortnight;  the  fresher  the  eggs  the  better,  I  believe. 
Those  you  set  apart  for  a  sitting  remove  directly  they  are  laid 
and  place  them  in  bran,  small  end  downwards,  dating  them  in 
ink,  and  adding  the  name  of  the  hen.  Does  this  sound  absurd? 
Possibly  to  people  who  know  little  and  care  less  about  fowls  it 
may,  but  those  who  keep  a  limited  number  I  venture  to  say 
would  have  their  original  family  of  birds  named,  either  by  names 
caused  by  some  distinguishing  mark  about  the  bird,  or  in  groups 
adhering  to  one  initial  letter. 

When  you  have  collected,  say,  thirteen  eggs,  which  is  quite 
enough  to  put  under  any  hen,  though  people  do  advise  fifteen 
for  a  large  hen — too  many  really  for  a  hen,  though  a  turkey 
would  cover  them  comfortably — thirteen  for  a  large  Brahma  hen, 
and  eleven  for  a  smaller  hen  are  the  number  I  usually  place 
under  the  hen,  and  find  them  quite  enough.  If  a  nest  is  too 
full  of  eggs  there  is  sure  to  be  an  accident :  some  eggs  get  broken 
and  the  nest  gets  foul  and  sickly;  besides,  the  hen  covers  a  com- 


INCUBATION.  85 

pact  nest  of  eggs  much  better,  and  they  all  get  an  equal  share  of 
heat. 

All  the  eggs  placed  under  the  hen  should  be  marked  with 
their  proper  dates.     Have  the  eggs  as  near  as  possible  in  date,  so 
that  the  chicks  may  hatch  out  close  together.     A  great  advan- 
tage of  marking  the  eggs  is,  that  should  the  hen  lay  any  vrhen 
first  beginning  to  sit,  or  should  other  hens  gain  access  to  the  nest, 
the  fresh  eggs  laid  can  be  removed.     Mr.  James  Long,  a  great 
authority  on  poultry,  advises  that  at  the  end  often  days  the  eggs 
should  be  tested.     This  should  be  done  in  the  evening  by  the 
light  of  a  lamp,  holding  the  egg  betwixt  the  thumb  and  forefin- 
ger of  the  right  hand  in  front  of  the  flame,  and  shading  the  large 
end  with  the  base  of  the  left  hand,  the  air-chamber  is  discovered; 
this  is  apparently  opaque,  the  rest  of  the  egg  being   dark  and 
heavy,  the  two  portions  being  divided  by  a  clear  black  line — that  is, 
if  the  egg  is  fertile.     If,  on  the  other  hand,  the  egg  is  light  and 
opaque  throughout,  or,  in  other  words,  exactly  like  a  new-laid 
egg  when  held  before  the  same  light,  it  is  not  fertile.     This  little 
test  is  so  simple  that  every  one  should  adopt  it,  and  use  the  eggs 
found  unfertile,  not  returning  them  to  the  nest.     They  are  just 
as  edible  and  as  wholesome  as  eggs  laid  on  the  same  day  but  not 
placed  under  a  hen,  and  can  always  be  used  in  the  kitchen,  being 
quite  as  good  if  not  better  than  the  so-called  "cooking  eggs." 
Sometimes,  however,  these  unfertile  eggs  are  not  clear  and  edible, 
but  rotten;  this  can  generally  be  detected.     If  the  egg,  on  being 
tested  in  the  manner  described,  is  found  neither  clean  nor  fertile 
with  the  dark  line  at  the  top,  but  without  the  dark  line  and  dull 
throughout,  especially  in  the  centre,  the  whole  mass  within  the 
shell  being  in  a  movable  state,  its  condition  may  be  reasonably 
suspected  and  it  can  be  thrown  away.     This  state  may  arise  from 
one  or  more  causes;  it  is  fancied  that  it  arises  from  the  fertiliza- 
tion being  incomplete  or  weak,  wanting  sufiicient  strength  to 
break  into  positive  life,  but  yet  enough  to  afi"cct  the  rest  of  the 


86  INCUBATION. 

egg,  which,  as  in  all  cases  in  which  any  life  has  existed,  decom- 
poses, and  in  time  engenders  gas.  Such  eggs  should  be  buried, 
not  thrown  where  they  can  be  picked  at  by  other  birds. 

It  is  a  good  plan  to  sit  two  or  more  hens  at  the  same  time;  on 
the  tenth  day  you  can  test  the  eggs,  and  remove  from  both  nests 
the  unfertile  ones  giving  one  hen  all  the  other  eggs  and  resitting 
the  other  on  a  fresh  lot  of  eggs.  Besides,  if  two  hens  sit  at  once, 
one  hen  when  they  batch  out  can  take  both  broods,  so  you  econ- 
omise your  stock  of  hens.  I  would  never  advise,  as  some  people 
do,  that  hen  No.  2  should  be  given  a  fresh  set  of  eggs  and  have  to 
sit  another  three  weeks,  for  no  hen  could  sit  six  weeks  without 
taxing  her  strength  too  much;  this  proceeding  I  look  upon  as  a 
downright  cruel  one. 

Short-legged  hens  are  the  best  for  sitting,  therefore  Brahmas 
and  Dorkings  make  very  good  "broody"  hens.  Three  weeks  is 
the  usual  time  it  takes  for  hens'  eggs  to  hatch,  but  they  may 
eithei  be  a  day  or  two  before  or  a  day  or  two  after  the  twenty- 
one  days. 

If  possible  have  a  sitting-house,  or  arrange  that  your  sitting 
hens  are  kept  in  a  quiet,  rather  dark  place,  away  from  the  other 
birds,  else  you  will  have  endless  trouble;  for  if  kept  in  the  same 
house  in  which  the  other  hens  lay,  they  will  be  constantly  inter- 
fering with  the  sitting  hens,  trying  to  lay  in  the  same  nests,  and 
eggs  are  sure  to  be  broken  in  the  scuffle.  Your  sitter  may  prove 
a  little  restless  in  a  fresh  place  at  first,  but  employ  china  eggs 
for  her  to  sit  on  until  she  is  disposed  to  sit  steadily,  and  she  will 
soon  settle  down,  you  will  find,  in  her  new  nest,  especially  if  she 
be  really  "broody"  or  "cluck."  And  here  it  may  be  as  well,  per- 
haps, to  say  a  few  words  about  "broody"  hens.  Sometimes  they 
are  most  tiresome,  and  very  often  this  strong  desire  to  sit,  which 
is  termed  storge,  is  so  strong  that  no  means  you  can  try  will  abate 
it.  In  such  a  case  I  should  be  tempted,  even  if  I  did  not  want 
the  chickens,  to  let  the  poor  hen  gratify  her  desire,  and  do  as 


INCUBATION.  87 

the  French  acouveurs  do.  They  only  provide  broods,  but  do  not 
rear  them,  selhng  their  chickens  at  twenty-four  hours  old,  and 
sending  them  to  the  fermiere  who  has  ordered  them  packed  up 
warmly  in  flannel  in  a  small  flat  basket.  Chickens,  curiously 
enough,  travel  very  well  at  that  early  age,  better  even  than  when 
they  are  older,  because  Nature  provides  them  with  nourishment 
when  they  first  hatch  out,  and  they  really  need  nothing  till  the 
next  day  but  to  be  kept  snug  and  warm.  When  they  reach  their 
destination,  which  must,  of  course,  be  within  reasonable  distance, 
they  are  given  at  night  to  a  hen  who  has  a  brood  of  chickens  of 
about  the  same  age,  who  will,  as  a  rule,  welcome  the  addition 
to  her  family  with  pleasure,  seeming  rather  to  delight  in  this 
mysterious  increase  to  her  family.  A  hen  is  always  very  proud 
of  a  large  brood,  and  I  have  often  noticed  will  apparently,  in  hen 
language,  crow  over  a  less  fortunate  mother  with  only  a  few  to 
take  care  of. 

I  once  had  a  hen  who  had  only  one  chick.  She  got  shut  away 
from  her  nest  by  accident,  and  was  kept  out  so  long  that  the 
eggs  were  spoiled  all  but  three,  and  from  these  were  hatched 
very  weakly  chicks.  Two  died  in  the  act  of  being  liberated 
from  their  shells,  and  the  result  of  the  sitting  of  thirteen  eggs 
was  one  chick,  and  that  took  a  considerable  amount  of  cosseting 
and  nursing  before  it  became  quite  strong.  It  was  most  absurd 
to  see  the  mother,  the  fuss  she  made  over  her  one  bantling.  It 
was  a  late  sitting,  and  I  had  no  other  chicks  ready  to  enlarge 
her  family.  "When  the  chick  was  a  few  days  old,  her  favorite 
mode  of  carrying  it  was  on  her  back,  and  there  the  little  creature 
sat  quite  contentedly  while  the  hen  marched  about.  This  went 
on  for  months,  until  really  the  single  scion  of  the  house  of  "Raca' ' 
was  as  strong  as  his  mother.  But  the  affection  between  the  two 
was  too  funny.  Even  when  he  was  a  fine  handsome  cockerel, 
about  to  be  promoted  to  reign  in  the  room  of  his  father  "Raca" 
asRacalL,  or  over  another  harem,  his  mother  would  insist  on 


88  INCUBATION. 

presenting  him  with  scraps  and  dainties  she  had  picked  up.  1 
never  knew  a  case  in  which  the  tie  of  relationship  betwixt  hen 
and  chick  lasted  so  long. 

To  return  to  the  subject  of  '  'broody"  hens.  I  certainly  wonder 
why  here  in  America  we  do  not  adopt  French  methods  with 
regard  to  rearing  poultry.  We  spend  days,  weeks,  in  trying  to 
cure  a  hen  of  wishing  to  sit,  a  perfectly  natural  inclination,  very 
often  starving  and  really  ciiielly  teasing  the  poor  thing,  while 
all  that  time  she  might  be  fulfilhng  her  end  in  life,  and  sitting 
on  a  nest  full  of  eggs.  She  does  not  cost  more  while  she  is  sit- 
ting, and,  indeed,  it  is  far  more  economical  to  employ  her  than 
to  chase  the  poor  wretch  off  the  nests,  shut  her  up,  give  her  physic, 
or  otherwise  torment  her.  Tou  may  argue,  "Oh,  but  my  hen 
would  lay  again  soon  if  I  prevented  her  from  sitting  !"  Pardon 
me,  but  the  hen  certainly  would  not  lay  under  a  month,  and  pro- 
bably not  for  six  weeks,  as  she  will  pine  at  first  and  lose  flesh  from 
the  feverish  anxiety  of  her  state,  will  be  some  time  before  she  gets 
in  condition  again,  and  very  often  two  or  three  months  will  elapse 
before  she  will  lay ;  whereas,  after  sitting,  even  if  her  chickens 
are  removed  from  her  or  she  is  only  left  with  one — perhaps  you 
feel  inclined  to  allow  her  one  or  two  after  her  trouble  of  sitting 
so  long — she  will  begin  to  lay  again  sooner  than  she  would  were 
she  laboring  under  the  storge.  If  it  is  very  late  in  the  season  you 
might  get  ducks'  eggs  and  sit  your  ''broody"  hen  on  them.  Ducks 
do  better  in  cold,  inclement  weather  than  chickens,  and  when 
sold  bring  in  a  good  price.  They  cost  more  to  fat,  though,  as 
they  are  such  ravenous  feeders. 

Sitting  hens  should  have  a  daily  run.  Do  not  remove  them 
forcibly  from  their  nests,  but  let  the  door  be  open  every  day  at 
a  certain  hour  for  a  certain  time  while  you  are  about.  Perhaps 
for  the  first  day  or  two  you  may  have  to  take  them  gently  off 
their  nests  and  deposit  them  on  the  ground  outside  the  door. 
They  will  soon,  however,  learn  the  habit,  and  come  out  when 


INCUBATION.  89 

the  door  is  open,  eat,  drink,  have  a  dust-bath,  and  return  to 
their  nests.  That  this  should  be  a  daily  performance  is  quite 
necessary  to  their  health  and  well-being.  It  is  a  very  old  and 
mistaken  notion  to  fancy  that  the  chicks  hatch  out  better  if  the 
hen  sits  close  and  never  leaves  her  nest,  because  it  is  not  so;  air, 
food,  exercise,  and  a  roll  in  the  dust  are  necessary  to  the  hen's 
health,  and  the  eggs  will  not  come  to  any  harm. 

Some  people,  while  hens  are  off  their  nests,  damp  the  eggs 
with  lukewarm  water.  Moisture,  they  say,  is  necessary,  and  the 
chicks  gain  strength  by  the  process.  This  may  be  correct,  and, 
in  very  dry  weather,  perhaps  necessary.  Myself  I  never  fancied 
it  did  much  good,  though  I  have  tried  the  experiment;  but  I 
consider  it  is  a  mistake  to  meddle  too  much  with  nest  or  eggs; 
the  hen  is  only  made  restless  and  dissatisfied  by  so  doing,  and 
the  result  is  not  such  a  very  decidedly  good  one  as  to  be  worth 
the  extra  trouble.  While  the  eggs  are  hatching  out  do  not 
touch  the  nests;  it  is  very  foolish  to  fuss  the  old  bird  and  make 
her  angry,  as  she  treads  on  the  eggs  in  her  fury,  and  crushes  the 
chicks  when  they  are  in  the  most  delicate  state  of  hatching — 
i.e.,  when  they  are  half  in  and  half  out  of  the  shell,  when  a 
heavy  tread  on  the  part  of  the  old  bird  is  nearly  certain  to  kill 
them. 

Picking  off  the  shell  to  help  the  imprisoned  chick  is  always  a 
more  or  less  hazardous  proceeding,  and  should  never  be  had 
recourse  to  unless  the  e^g  has  been  what  is  termed  "billed" 
for  a  long  time,  in  which  case  the  chick  is  probably  a  weakly 
one  and  may  need  a  little  help,  which  must  be  given  with  the 
greatest  caution,  in  order  that  the  tender  membranes  of  the  skin 
shall  not  be  lacerated.  A  little  help  should  be  given  at  a  time, 
every  two  or  three  hours;  but  if  any  blood  is  perceived  stop  at 
once,  as  it  is  a  proof  that  the  chick  is  not  quite  ready  to  be  lib- 
erated. If,  on  the  contrary,  the  minute  bloodvessels  which  arc 
spread  all  over  the  interior  of  the  shell  are  bloodless,  then  you 


9tr  INCUBATION. 

may  be  sure  the  chick  is  in  some  way  stuck  to  the  shell  by  its 
feathers,  or  is  too  weakly  to  get  out  of  its  prison-house. 

The  old  egg  shells  should  be  removed  from  under  the  hen, 
but  do  not  take  away  her  chicks  from  her  one  by  one  as  they 
hatch  out,  as  is  very  often  advised,  for  it  only  makes  her  very 
uneasy,  and  the  natural  warmth  of  her  body  is  far  better  for 
them  at  that  stage  than  artificial  heat. 

Should  only  a  few  chicks  have  been  hatched  out  of  the  sitting, 
and  the  other  remaining  eggs  show  no  signs  of  life  when  exam- 
ined, no  sounds  of  the  little  birds  inside,  then  the  water  test 
should  be  tried.  Get  a  basin  of  warm  water,  not  really  hot, 
and  put  those  eggs  about  which  you  do  not  feel  certain  into  it. 
If  they  contain  the  chicks  they  will  float  on  top,  if  they  move 
or  dance  the  chicks  are  alive,  but  if  they  float  without  movement 
the  inmates  will  most  likely  be  dead.  If  they  (the  eggs)  are  rot- 
ten they  will  sink  to  the  bottom.  Put  the  floating  ones  back 
under  the  hen,  and  if,  on  carefully  breaking  the  others,  you  find 
the  test  is  correct  (one  puncture  will  be  sufficient  to  tell  you  this), 
bury  them  at  once. 

Chickens  should  never  be  set  free  from  their  shells  in  a  hurry, 
because  it  is  necessary  for  their  well-being  that  they  should  have 
taken  in  all  the  yolk,  for  that  serves  them  for  food  for  twenty- 
four  hours  after  they  see  the  light,  so  no  apprehension  need  be 
felt  if  they  do  not  eat  during  that  period,  if  they  seem  quite  strong, 
gain  their  feet,  and  their  little  downy  plumage  spreads  out  and 
dries  properly.  Their  best  place  is  under  the  hen  for  the  time 
named,  then  they  may  be  fed  in  the  manner  described  under  the 
head  of  "Manajrement  of  Chickens." 


MANAGEMENT   OF  CHICKENS.  91 


MANAGEMENT  OF  CHICKENS. 


Chickens  will,  as  I  have  already  said,  do  without  food  for  the 
first  day  and  night;  but  as  soon  as  they  begin  to  feed  they  should 
be  very  well  fed,  and  constantly.  "We  all  know  the  old  saying, 
that  "Children  and  chicken  are  always  picking."  At  first  their 
food  should  be  crumbs  of  bread,  sometimes  dry,  sometimes 
soaked  in  milk,  and  the  yolk  of  hard-boiled  eggs  crumbled  up 
and  mixed  with  bread-crumbs.  This  is  quite  enough  for  the 
first  week.  Afterwards  small  grain  may  be  given,  chicken 
wheat,  or  tailings  of  wheat,  groats,  canary-seed,  a  very  little 
hempseed,  bits  of  underdone  meat  minced  small,  a  little  finely- 
chopped  green  food,  macaroni  boiled  in  milk  and  cut  into  small 
bits,  and  so  on.  They  should  be  fed  very  often,  but  only  given 
a  little  at  a  time.  I  feed  mine  every  two  hours  for  the  first  three 
weeks  or  so,  taking  care  that  they  only  have  just  as  much  as 
they  can  eat  at  a  time,  so  that  the  food  is  not  wasted.  Hemp- 
seed  mast  be  given  with  caution;  but  if  the  weather  is  cold  and 
damp  it  is  very  good  for  warming  the  chicks,  and  they  are  very 
fond  of  it.  Soft  food  mixed  dry  should  be  given  them  after  the 
first  week,  macaroni,  barley-meal,  or  middlings.  This  mixture 
should  be  made  with  milk,  or,  if  no  milk  is  given,  then  scalded 
water,  but  on  no  account  should  any  food  for  chickens  be  mixed 
with  water  which  has  not  been  boiled  or  scalded.  The  food 
should  not  be  mixed  in  a  wet,  sloppy  mass,  but  of  such  a  con- 
sistency that  when  thrown  on  the  ground  it  will  crumble 
readily. 


93 


MANAGEMENT   OF   CHICKENS. 


The  old  hen  should  be  supplied  with  grain  (wheat),  some  of  the 
meal,  or  any  other  food  suitable  for  her  when  her  little  ones  are 
fed,  but  not  oats.  All  water  which  is  given  to  the  chickens 
should  be  boiled  first,  or  else  it  is  very  apt  to  give  them  diarr- 
hoea. A  very  good  drinking-pan  can  be  made  for  the  small  birds 
by  inverting  an  ordinary  flowerpot  in  its  saucer,  and  filling  the 
latter  with  water.  In  this  they  cannot  drown  themselves,  as 
they  might  in  a  deeper  pan  or  ordinary  drink ing-trough.  Many 
people  give  skim- milk  instead  of  water  at  first. 

All  the  time  chickens  are  growing  they  should  be  well  fed.  It 
is  the  very  greatest  mistake  to  stint  any  young  stock;  and  chick- 
ens, if  you  wish  to  bring  them  on  quickly  for  market,  must  be 
well  and  generously  fed  at  all  ages,  not  neglected  when  three- 
parts  grown,  as  is  too  often  done.  They  should  be  constantly 
suj)plied  with  fresh  water. 

It  is  certainly  best  to  confine  the  hen  under  a  coop  for  the  first 
month  or  so.  If  she  is  allowed  her  liberty  she  will  wander  about 
with  her  brood  in  search  of  insects,  and  so  may  expose  her  family 
to  the  attacks  of  hawks,  weasels,  or  other  vermin.  And,  besides 
this,  though  you  wish  to  feed  your  hen  well  while  with  her  brood, 
it  would  be  rather  foolish  to  allow  her  to  satisfy  her  appetite  on 
the  dainties  prepared  for  them,  which  she  naturally  will  do  un- 
less you  give  them  their  meal  where  she  cannot  reach  it,  but 
giving  her  under  her  coop  at  the  same  time  coarser  food.  Econ- 
omy points  out  that  delicate  and  expensive  food,  such  as  groats, 
boiled  eggs,  and  crumbs  of  bread,  should  be  reserved  for  the 
chicks,  while  the  hen  has  wheat  or  ordinary  food.  I  should  not 
feel  inclined  to  give  her  oats  or  barley  unbruised  for  this  reason: 
she  will,  of  course,  call  her  little  ones  joyfully  to  her  to  partake 
of  the  food  given  her,  and  they  might  choke  themselves  with 
large  whole  grain,  such  as  oats  or  barley.  Rice  will  not  hurt 
them  (boiled,  of  course),  nor  wheat,  which  is  a  much  smaller 


MANAGEMENT  OF  CHICKENS.  93 

Strain,  especially  in  tailings,  than  the  other  cereals  mentioned, 
and  cannot  injure  her  little  family,  even  if  she  does  give  them 
a  grain  or  two. 

For  the  first  week  or  two  the  coop  should  be  placed  in  a  warm 
sheltered  spot,  but  taken  into  a  safe  place  at  night.  As  the 
chicks  gain  strength  it  should  be  moved  on  to  a  grass  plat.  The 
ordinary-shaped  coop,  with  a  sloping  roof  and  barred  front,  is  as 
good  a  one  as  any,  only  I  should  advise  handles,  strong  wooden 
ones,  being  fixed  to  each  side  to  facilitate  movement.  Boarded 
bottomed  coops  are  not  desirable — it  is  far  better  to  place  a  bot- 
tomless coop  on  the  ground — else  you  might  have  small  wheels 
to  your  coops  to  push  them  along  when  changing  their  place. 
In  a  case  of  emergency,  or  if  the  expens"  of  a  coop  cannot  be 
incurred,  an  old  cask  or  beer-barrel  makes  a  very  fair  coop. 
Knock  out  one  end  and  put  laths  across,  leaving  one  to  draw  in 
or  out,  and  take  out  the  staves  which  rest  on  the  ground.  The 
barrel  should  be  propped  on  each  side  to  prevent  its  moving,  and 
a  tarpaulin  must  be  provided  to  throw  over  it  at  night  to  prevent 
any  rain  soaking  in  the  knocked-out  end,  and  will  serve  as  a 
cover  for  the  opening,  vv^hich  must  be  closed,  for  fear  of  cats, 
foxes,  rats,  and  such  creatures.  Holes  for  ventilation  must  be 
drilled  in  this  cover.  I  have  reared  many  a  healthy  small  brood 
in  a  barrel  in  this  way.  It  is  easily  rolled,  too,  into  a  fresh  place, 
and  if  you  have  not  coops  enough,  and  do  not  know  where  to 
stow  your  small  families,  barrels  or  boxes  must  be  turned  to 
account. 

The  chicks  when  about  a  week  old  should  be  allowed  a  little 
liberty.  The  old  hen  might  be  turned  out  with  them  for  an 
hour  or  so  during  the  warm  part  of  the  day,  only  she  must  be 
watched  in  order  that  she  does  not  lead  them  into  mischief. 
About  this  time,  too,  their  food  should  be  changed;  less  soaked 
food  and  more  small  grain  be  given  instead — grits,  boiled  barley, 
and  other  articles  of  diet  before  advised. 


94  MANAGEMENT  OF  CHICKENS. 

Chickens  should  never  be  let  out  too  early  in  the  morning 
even  when  they  are  three  vreeks  or  a  month  old,  as  it  is  certainly 
l)ad  for  them  to  be  about  while  the  dew  is  on  the  grass. 

The  coops  should  be  constantly  changed  about  from  place  to 
place,  but  never  allowed  to  stand  on  wet,  moist  ground.  One 
of  the  great  secrets  in  rearing  chickens  is  always  to  keep  them  dry. 
If  they  are  allowed  to  be  out  in  the  wet,  or  kept  on  damp  ground, 
they  will  soon  become  delicate.  "Gapes,"  that  fatal  malady 
will  attack  them,  or  diarrhoea,  or  some  other  ailment,  and  they 
will  soon  die  off. 

"When  they  begin  to  feather  the  very  greatest  care  should  be 
taken  of  them,  as  this  is  a  very  critical  period.  Hempseed  and 
bread  soaked  should  be  given,  and  iron  in  their  water.  At  six 
months  they  should  be  in  full  plumage,  and  in  seven  or  eight 
months  the  pullets,  if  they  have  been  well  fed  up  to  this  time, 
will  commence  laying.  "Tailings"  (wheat)  are  really  the  best 
grain  food  for  chickens  up  to  four  months.  After  they  first 
begin  to  eat  grain  many  people  advise  barley,  but  if  you  can  get 
wheat — which  is  not,  however,  always  easy  to  procure — I  infi- 
nitely prefer  it.     If  you  must  give  barley,  then  let  it  be  bruised. 

I  am  no  friend  to  keeping  chicks  indoors,  as  some  people  advise, 
for  I  am  convinced  it  makes  them  weakly.  Find  a  sheltered 
corner  for  the  coop,  and  move  them  into  it  even  in  cold  weather, 
only  put  the  coop  under  shelter  at  night.  Confining  them  in- 
doors, even  in  a  barn  or  a  stable,  appears  to  produce  cramp  and 
weakness  of  the  legs,  which  when  turned  out  is  not  the  case,  for 
the  best  and  surest  preventive  for  cramp  and  leg-weakness  is  to 
let  the  birds  so  afi'ected  have  their  liberty  in  the  air,  where  they 
can  get  the  exercise  they  really  require. 

With  regard  to  the  time  for  chickens  to  be  hatched  out,  I  rear 
young  chickens  iQost  months  in  the  year,  but  then  my  fowl- 
house  is  in  a  sheltered  place  and  on  good  dry  soil.     If  you  sit 


MANAGEMENT  OF  CHICKENS.  95 

late  in  the  autumn,  say  in  October  or  November,  it  is  an  advan- 
tage— that  is,  if  you  are  in  a  fairly-sheltered,  warm,  dry  spot — 
for  chickens  hatched  in  December  and  January  bring  in  a  hand- 
some profit  in  the  shape  of  * 'spring  chickens."  There  is,  of 
course,  a  good  deal  of  risk,  and  immense  care  must  be  taken  of 
the  young  birds  during  the  cold  weather,  but  if  the  situation  is 
good  it  is  well  worth  a  trial. 

By  the  end  of  June,  or  early  in  July,  pullets  hatched  in  Decem- 
ber should,  if  they  have  been  really  well  fed,  be  commencing  to 
lay.  Your  early  chickens  will  not,  perhaps,  be  as  strong  as  those 
hatched  two  months  after,  say  in  February  and  March.  This  is 
one  reason  why  they  should  be  reared  for  table.  In  any  case  I 
should  not  breed  from  birds  hatched  in  the  coldest  winter  months; 
but  in  the  case  of  pullets,  if  I  did  not  kill  them  all  off  as  ''spring 
chicks,"  fatten  and  kill  them  when  they  had  finished  laying,  and 
before  they  began  to  moult;  for  birds  hatched,  say  in  March  or 
April,  would  be  really  much  stronger,  and  "selected"  ones  for 
keeping  out  of  such  broods  be  more  to  be  depended  on  to  supply 
the  place  of  some  of  the  old  stock  if  you  mean  to  kill  any  of 
them  off. 

If  you  wish  to  fatten  ''spring  chickens"  quickly  for  market, 
when  they  are  about  two  months  old  confine  them  in  coops  and 
feed  chiefly  with  moist  food.  In  my  opinion  a  fowl  allowed  its 
liberty  has  a  better  flavor  than  one  confined  and  fed  up  in  a  coop, 
but  it  certainly  does  not  put  on  flesh  so  quickly  nor  yet  get  so 
thoroughly  plump  and  tempting-looking  when  trussed  ready  for 
market,  therefore  I  should  advise  that  those  chickens  fattened 
for  sale  should  be  kept  in  coops  and  fed  up,  while  those  for  home 
use  should  be  allowed  their  liberty  until  they  were  really  wanted 
by  the  cook. 

With  regard  to  foxes,  rats,  and  such  vermin,  your  best  safe- 
guard against  them  is  to  house  all  your  stock  at  night,  and  see 
yourself  that  their  numbers  are  all  right. 


96  MANAGEMENT  OF  CHICKENS. 

Rats  must  be  -waged  war  against.  They  are  the  greatest  ene- 
mies to  young  ducklings,  also  chickens.  Keep  steel  traps 
prepared,  putting  them  down  when  the  fowls  are  shut  up  for 
the  night  in  the  runs  outside,  and  baiting  them  with  cheese  or 
bits  of  meat,  only  drop  a  little  oil  of  rodium  on  the  bait.  In 
time,  if  you  will  persevere,  you  will  either  frighten  them  away  or 
else  catch  them ;  but  you  must  of  course,  keep  your  traps  out  of 
the  way  of  the  fowls  themselves.  Boiling  coal  tar  poured  down 
the  holes,  and  followed  by  a  deluge  of  water,  is  said  to  be  very 
effectual  in  making  rats  desert  a  yard.  I  am  averse  to  poison, 
because,  if  it  is  used  in  a  fowl-house  or  yard,  it  is  next  to  im- 
possible to  prevent  an  accident  sooner  or  later.  Ferreting  every 
now  and  then  will  do  good,  unless  your  houses  are  adjoining 
bams  or  extensive  outhouses,  in  which  case  you  are  more  likely 
to  lose  your  ferrets  than  destroy  the  vermin.  The  holes  should 
be  carefully  stopped  with  a  mixture  of  ground  glass,  bits  of  glass 
broken  up,  and  ordinary  plaster.  Rats  will  not  often  attack 
glass  mixed  in  this  way.  If  you  do  use  poison  you  must  nail  it 
up  somewhere  out  of  reach  of  the  birds.  This  you  can  do  by 
getting  a  small  bit  of  meat,  soaking  it  with  the  poison,  and  nailing 
it  on  to  a  bit  of  wood,  nailing  that  again  to  the  wall.  Myself  I 
should  be  afraid  of  the  rat,  in  his  efforts  to  get  off  the  meat, 
dropping  little  bits  of  it  on  the  floor,  when  of  course  the  fowls 
would  be  the  sufferers. 

Cats  are  enemies  also.  Dogs  one  has  not  much  reason  to 
fear,  but  in  the  vicinity  of  a  town  cats  of  all  ages  and  sizes  will 
sooner  or  later  visit  you,  and  if  there  is  one  delicacy  they  prefer 
to  another  it  is  a  young  chick  or  duckling.  They  are  so  cunning 
too,  it  is  hard  to  catch  them. 

Traps  are  not  much  good.  Poisoned  fish  put  down  near  where 
you  fancy  they  get  into  the  run  is  the  only  thing;  but  of  course 
it  must  be  taken  away  without  fail  before  you  let  your  fowls 
out  of  the  house,  and  it  should  also  be  nailed  to  a  piece  of  wood. 


FATTENING,  97 

which  might  be  smeared  with  oil  of  valerian — of  which  some  cats 
are  so  fond — to  make  it  even  more  attractive.  I  never  lost  any 
chicks  by  cats,  I  am  bound  to  say,  and  therefore  should  be  loath 
to  set  poison  down  for  them.  I  dread  poison  too,  as  I  have 
already  said,  in  a  fowl-yard.  One  cat  I  had  who  took  a  fancy 
to  a  young  duckling,  but  was  discovered  before  she  had  eaten  it, 
so  poor  ducky  was  tied  to  her  neck  in  such  a  position  that  she 
could  not  get  rid  of  it,  and  this  effectually  cured  her  of  killing 
ducklings  or  chicks.  A  good  hungry  half-starved  town  cat, 
however,  one  could  not  cure  by  such  means;  it  would  be  a  case 
of  "first  catch  your  cat."  But  still  cats  I  look  on  in  a  light  of 
friends,  unless  I  suffered  too  severely  from  their  attacks  I 
should  not  like  to  demolish  them  by  such  a  cruel  method  as 
poison. 


FATTENING. 


In  feeding  fowls  for  table,  or  rather  for  market — for  I  should 
never  coop  chickens  to  fat  merely  for  home  use,  as  I  have  before 
said — much  depends  on  circumstances. 

Spring  chickens  should  be  penned  for  fattening  directly  the 
hen  shows  a  desire  to  leave  them,  when  they  are,  say,  five  weeks 
old.  They  will  not  then  have  lost  their  first  plump  condition, 
and  will  soon,  if  well  fed,  increase  rapidly  in  weiglit.  They 
are  not  required  to  be  very  large;  indeed,  if  fatted  too  long  buy- 
ers would  fancy  they  were  not  really  "spring  chickens,"  which 
frequently  make  their  appearance  at  table  not  much  larger  than 


98  FATTENING. 

blackbirds,  and  are  then  considered  all  tlie  greater  delicacy. 

If  your  chickens  were  hatched  out  in  December,  early  in  Feb- 
ruary you  can  put  them  up  to  fat.  Their  coops  or  cages  should 
be  placed  in  a  warm  dark  sheltered  place.  There  are  a  variety 
of  different  coops  or  pens  recommended  by  different  authorities 
on  poultry  to  fat  chickens.  I  do  not  remember  to  have  seen  one, 
however,  which  is,  to  my  mind  so  suited  to  the  purpose  as  this 
of  which  I  give  a  description. 

As  far  as  the  general  conformation  of  the  coop  goes,  it  is  made 
on  the  same  plan  as  many  others;  but  the  adaptable  shelf  which 
is  its  chief  feature  is  entirely  my  own  idea,  and  if  adopted  would, 
I  feel  sure,  give  general  satisfaction. 

The  coop  itself  is  made  of  boards,  sides,  back,  and  ends  of 
front;  centre  of  front  is  barred,  with'the  two  middle  bars  mov- 
able. It  stands  on  legs  between  two  and  three  feet  in  height, 
the  roof  sloped  sufficient  to  allow  the  rain  to  run  easily  off. 
To  hold  four  chickens  at  the  same  time  the  coop  should  be 
about  five  feet  in  length,  four  in  breadth,  and  three  in  height — 
that  is,  above  the  legs  on  which  it  stands.  If  the  birds  are  kept 
in  separate  divisions  then  a  little  more  length  will  have  to  be 
allowed  for  the  partitions.  This  will  give  ample  room  for  the 
birds  without  uncomfortably  cramping  them. 

The  bars  in  front  of  the  coop  should  be  wide  enough  apart  to 
allow  the  birds  to  get  their  heads  through  easily  to  get  at 
their  food,  which  should  be  given  them  on  a  shelf  or  board. 
The  shelf,  when  not  in  use,  being  fixed  on  hinges,  would  fold 
down  in  front  of  the  coop.  This  is  a  much  better  plan  than 
having  a  trough  for  food  fixed  outside,  as  so  many  coops  have, 
the  objection  to  it  being  that  the  food  soon  gets  sour — I  mean 
what  is  left  after  the  birds  have  fed — sticking  to  the  sides  of  the 
trough,  which,  if  it  is  a  box-like  fixture,  it  is  next  to  impossible 
to  clean  properly. 

The  shelf  should  have  an  upright  lath  nailed  to  it  to  prevent 


FATTENING.  99 

the  chickens  pushing  the  food  beyond  their  reach  iu  efforts  to 
get  at  it,  but  the  ledge  should  not  be  so  deep  as  to  interfere  with 
the  shelf  closing  against  the  front  of  tha  coop.  Between  this 
ledge  and  the  coop  should  fit  a  zinc  trough,  the  width  of  the 
division,  for  water. 

When  food  is  put  down  this  water-trough  should  be  slipped  out, 
to  be  replaced  when  the  meal  is  over.  Two  small  wooden  sup- 
ports would  prop  up  this  miniature  table ;  on  the  same  plan  an 
extra  shelf  is  made  to  enlarge  an  ordinary  table.  A  further  use 
of  this  flat  board  would  be  to  close  up  the  front  of  the  coop  at 
night.  It  should  not  close  entirely  the  barred  space,  room  being 
left  at  the  top  for  ventilation.  Water  not  being  required  at 
night,  the  zinc  trough  should  be  removed  to  allow  of  the  shelf 
being  closed,  while  the  wooden  buttons  would  keep  it  firmly  in 
its  place,  the  small  holes  at  the  side  of  the  coop  supplying  the 
extra  ventilation  necessary. 

With  regard  to  sanitary  arrangements,  before  the  birds  are 
put  into  the  coop  it  should  be  thoroughly  washed  with  a  mix- 
ture of  lime  and  size,  to  destroy  all  vermin.  This  dries  quite 
hard  and  does  not  rub  off.  If  a  white  wash  is  objected  to  in  a 
feeding-pen,  then  it  could  be  darkened  by  the  admixture  of  color, 
only  see  that  there  is  no  lead  in  the  color  mixed  with  the  wash 
to  procure  the  darker  shade.  The  partially-boarded  front  will 
prevent  the  coop  being  too  light. 

The  floor  should  be  first  of  all  of  flat  bars  placed  length- wise — 
fixtures  these — and  over  them  should  slip  in,  from  the  back  of 
the  coop,  a  movable  board,  which  should  be  drawn  out  every 
day  and  thoroughly  scraped  and  sanded,  but  not  washed,  because 
if  not  thoroughly  dry  when  put  in  the  birds  would  get  a  chill,  and 
very  likely  suffer  from  diarrhoea  in  consequence. 

If  after  a  meal  there  is  any  food  remaining,  let  down  the  shelf 
and  brush  it  off,  giving  it  to  the  other  fowls  in  order  not  to 
waste  it.     Food  should  never  be  allowed  to  remain  in  the   sight 


100  FATTENING. 

of  fattening  fowls,  or  they  will  lose  appetite.  If  tliey  are  only 
fed  at  stated  times,  and  when  they  have  eaten  as  much  as  they 
require  the  board  is  carefully  cleaned  and  the  water-trough 
replaced  in  the  niche,  the  birds  will  feed  again,  when  the  time 
comes  round  for  their  food,  with  eagerness,  which  will  not  be  the 
case  if  the  food  is  left  there  for  them  to  iDCck  at. 

I  have  had  plenty  of  experience  with  fowls,  having  reared  them 
for  show,  for  eggs,  and  for  table,  and  have  therefore  no  hesita- 
tion in  recommending  my  "adaptable  shelf,"  as  I  feel  certain  it 
is  an  addition  of  the  greatest  use  to  an  ordinary  feeding-coop. 
It  adds  very  little  ( o  the  expense,  is  so  simple  that  any  carpenter 
could  easily  make  it  from  a  plain  drawing,  avoids  waste  of  food, 
and  insures  cleanliness.  As  soft  food  is  mostly  used  in  fatting 
chickens,  it  is  all  the  more  necessary  that  none  of  it  should  be 
allowed  to  remain  after  the  meal  to  turn  sour,  disagree  with  the 
birds,  and  take  away  their  appetite.  In  a  trough  it  is  hardly 
possible  to  prevent  a  little  lodging  in  the  corners  and  sides,  as  if 
the  trough  is  a  fixture  it  cannot  be  removed  to  be  washed;  on  a 
shelf  remains  of  food  need  never  be  left,  as  the  application  of  a 
hard  brush  for  a  few  minutes  would  remove  every  particle,  a 
little  sand  being  afterwards  sprinlded  lightly  over  the  board 
to  render  it  perfectly  sweet  before  the  water-trough  is  slipped 
in. 

Water  should  be  constantly  changed,  and  hoUed  water  should 
be  always  used  instead  of  that  just  pumped  or  drawn  from  a 
well  or  spring,  as  this  will  prevent  the   chickens  getting  diarr- 


You  should  have  some  plan  of  darkening  your  pens,  either 
by  letting  down  a  tarpaulin  over  the  top  or  having  sliding 
boards  to  run  in  and  out,  so  that  the  light  can  be  regulated  at 
will. 

Some  people  keep  their  chickens  separately,  having  their  pens 
divided.    I  do  not  think  this  is  really  necessai-y  if  you  choose 


FATTETs'ING.  101 

chickens  of  the  same  brood  to  fat  together.  Four  are  enough 
to  fat  at  a  time;  but  never  allow  your  coop,  if  you  have  only 
one,  to  remain  empty;  as  you  kill  off  one  lot  of  chickens  you 
should  have  another  batch  ready  to  put  in.  Cramming  I  am 
entirely  averse  to.  It  is  a  needlessly  cruel  and  disgusting 
custom,  though  very  frequently  practiced,  especially  in 
France. 

Now  comes  the  grand  question  of  food.  It  should  always  be 
pultaceous;  the  birds  cannot  pick  up  pebbles  and  little  stones 
when  shut  up,  so  cannot,  digest  grain  of  any  sort.  Feed  them 
on  bread  and  milk,  oatmeal  and  milk,  rice  well  boiled  with  a 
little  pepper  mixed  with  it,  barley-meal,  Indian  corn  meal,  pota- 
toes steamed  and  mixed  witlr  barley-meal,  chopped  green  food, 
&c.  Very  many  breeders,  give  a '  largfe  amount  of  suet  mixed 
with  the  food,  but  unless  people  are  fond  of  greasy  fat  on  their 
poultry,  which  to  me  is  an  abomination,!  should  not  advise  it, 
as  it  makes  the  flesh  so  gross.  VaryirtMdiet  as  much  as  possible, 
and  never  give  it  in  a  sloppy  state,  but  crumbly.  Three  weeks 
or  a  month  at  the  outside  is  enough  to  keep  fowls  \rp  for  fatting:  if 
kept  longer  the  confinement  begins  to  tell  on  them.  Some  peo- 
ple mix  treacle  or  sugar  with  their  food.  Saccharine  matter  is 
no  doubt  conducive  to  fat,  and  oatmeal,  or  Indian  corn  ground 
into  meal  and  mixed  with  treacle  until  it  is  in  a  crumbling  state, 
is  a  food  all  chickens  are  fond  of,  but  should  only  be  given  to 
those  you  wish  to  feed;  it  would  not  do  for  those  pullets  you 
wish  to  bring  on  to  lay  quickly,  as  it  would  develop  interior  fat, 
which  is  always  fatal  to  constant  laying. 

Guard  against  waste  of  food.  Only  experience  will  cause  you 
to  know  how  much  to  supply  at  once;  and  until  you  learn  this, 
directly  you  see  the  chickens  begin  to  pick  daintily  at  their  food 
remove  it,  give  to  the  other  fowls  then  what  is  left,  but  on  no 
account  allow  it  to  stay  in  the  trough  for  the  fatting  chickens  to 
eat,  when,  as  the  old  women  say,  "they've  a  raind  to,"    If  they 


102  FATTENING. 

do  not  constantly  see  food  before  them  they  "will  eat  it  far  more 
readily  when  it  is  given.  This  is  only  common-sense  treatment, 
and,  believe  me,  in  dealing  with  fowls  you  must  often  draw 
largely  on  this  very  desirable  commodity. 

Four  meals  a  day  should  be  the  allowance  for  penned-up  chick- 
ens, letting  them  eat,  each  time  you  feed,  as  much  as  they  will 
with  appetite.  At  night  they  will  roost  on  the  board.  Some 
people  put  down  clean  straw,  but  if  you  close  up  the  pen  so  that 
the  birds  are  not  cold  it  is  not  really  necessary,  and  it  only  har- 
bours insects.  Perches  you  might  have  if  you've  room  in  your 
pen — sufficient  height  I  mean.  Before  the  birds  are  put  in  have 
the  coop  well  cleaned,  white-washed,  and  sprinkled  with  car- 
bolic acid.  This  should  be  done  two  or  three  times  during  the 
time  the  chicks  are  fattening. 

Fowls  should  of  course  be  killed  in  the  most  merciful  way. 
It  makes  one  shudder  to  read  of  the  manner  in  which  the  poor 
things  are  sometimes  tortured,  allowed  to  bleed  slowly  to  death, 
pins  run  into  their  brains,  and  horrors  too  dreadful  to  name. 
Poultry  dealers  generally  kill  them  in  the  quickest  manner  by 
breaking  their  necks,  and  so  quickly  do  they  perform  their 
work  that  one  man  will  often  kill  and  pick  a  dozen  or  more 
in  an  hour.  One  of  the  easiest  ways  of  killing  is  to  hit  the  bird 
a  sharp  blow  on  the  back  of  the  head  with  a  heavy  blunt  stick; 
death  is  almost  instantaneous.  Then  pluck  at  once  while  the 
bird  is  warm,  as  the  process  can  then  be  accomplished  much 
more  rapidly  than  if  the  bird  is  allowed  to  hang  until  cold. 
When  all  the  feathers  are  oft  the  fowl  will  still  be  warm.  It 
should  then  be  carefully  singed,  floured,  and  trussed,  and  filaced 
between  two  boards  with  a  weight,  on  the  topmost;  not  too  heavy 
a  weight,  of  course,  to  spoil  its  shape,  but  just  enough  to  keep 
the  breast  down  and  in  good  shape. 

Capons  of  course  fetch  much  better  prices,  and  their  flesh 
remains  tender  up  to  the  age  of  two  years,  whereas  a  cock  at 


FATTENING,  1C3 

that  age  is  only  eatable  in  a  stew,  or  pie.  Cliickens  converted 
into  capons  increase  in  size  to  a  wonderful  extent;  tlie  birds  will 
in  a  year  be  nearly  treble  the  size  it  would  have  been  if  left 
alone,  and  double  the  market  value. 

In  conclusion  I  may  observe  that  I  can  most  sincerely,  from  my 
own  practical  experience,  advise  all  ladies,  as  well  as  gentlemen, 
who  have  a  little  room  to  spare  in  their  back  gardens,  to  set  up 
poultry-keeping  on  a  small  scale.  Many  more  people  keep 
fowls  now  than  used  to  years  ago,  I  know,  but  still  not  half 
people  enough.  Many  who  have  room  to  spare  for  a  family  of 
fowls  let  that  room  remain  unoccupied,  either  from  a  mistaken 
idea  that  poultry-keeping  is  too  expensive  or  will  entail  too  much 
trouble  on  them.  With  regard  to  the  latter  idea,  it  is,  no  doubt, 
a  partially  true  one.  Fowls  do  cause  trouble,  and  if  they  are  to  be 
made  to  pay  their  way  cannot  fail  to  do  so.  But  whatever  trouble 
they  cause  they  are  worth  it,  and  no  undertaking  or  pursuit  that  I 
ever  heard  of  flourished  without  some  amount  of  trouble.  In 
return  they  give  fresh  eggs — that  you  are  sure  of,  and  can  offer 
a  guest  without  any  inward  misgivings — plump  chickens,  a  little 
pocket-money,  and  a  great  deal  of  interest. 


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